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I think it arose in the opposite direction. Rulers realized that they didn't have enough centralized power to effectively rule their territory, so they hired lo
by TheCoelacanth 5y ago
I think it arose in the opposite direction. Rulers realized that they didn't have enough centralized power to effectively rule their territory, so they hired lower-level rulers who would get land in exchange for military service.
- hodgesrm 5y agoPart of the motivation was economic: armed horsemen, the dominant military units of the time, were expensive to maintain. The breakdown in the economy in early medieval Europe meant that centralized rulers didn't have money to pay them. They gave them land instead, so they could support themselves in return for military service. You might say it was a medieval take on the military-industrial complex.