> How did the monarchs of europe stay in power? By being the centre of a network of long-term two-way relationships with 'nobles' who had delegated authority t

> How did the monarchs of europe stay in power? By being the centre of a network of long-term two-way relationships with 'nobles' who had delegated authority to control the wider population (and who in turn delegated power downwards). Ultimately the base provided food and other essentials, and in turn the monarch maintained / enforced the necessary social constructs, by violence if necessary. If the monarchs lost the support of their immediate subordinates, they were toast. The wider population had very little power at an individual level, and lacked the means to sustain widespread uprisings. None of these monarchs were oligarchs in a bunker. [Edit]. Control of vast tracts of land was essential: your ability to maintain a powerbase depended a lot on how well you could marshal the necessary natural resources (primarily food). It was common for the nobles to be rewarded with large tracts of land from which luxuries could be skimmed off, and armies raised if necessary. Again, this is nothing like a bunker. The rulers (and their subordinates) had to maintain a continuous strong presence across their land to ensure the continual flow of raw material and manpower, which they couldn't do while hiding.