On 20 May 2004 at 12:30, Stephen Tempest wrote:
> My opinion is that accurate borders will be of vital importance to
> peasants, and minimal importance to kings...
>
> Imagine you're King Alf, ruler of a minor realm in Ralios. All you
> really care about is that Duke Bill, Duke Ben and Duke Brad are your
> loyal vassals.
>
> Now imagine you're Duke Bill. Again, all you care about is that Lord
> Charlie, Lord Cuthbert and Baron Claude are *your* loyal vassals.
Ooooh! Can I be Lord Cuthbert! We have the same initials! :)
> Go down a step further - you're Lord Charlie. You have five villages
> under your control. Do they pay their taxes on time and send troops when
> you call on them? If so, that's all you need to know.
>
> Finally, you're Headman Derik. Your village is in the lands of Squire
> Charlie. You have a very clear idea of the boundaries of your land - down
> the Mill Stream until it reaches the white rock, then across the heathland
> to the old standing stone, then north to the Great Road, along that for
> two miles till it reaches the Five Acre Wood, then along the wood's
> southern edge until it meets the Mill Stream.
>
> Now, on the other side of the Great Road is Headman David's land.
> He's also a subject of Lord Charlie, but you've had several feuds with him
> and don't get along at all well. Your neighbour on the other side of the
> Mill Stream, Headman Edward, is a good friend. You and he even cooperated
> to build the eponymous Mill, and share its output. However, Edward's
> village is ruled by a different lord - Lord Freddie. And Lord Freddie owes
> allegiance to Duke George, who's a vassal of King Henry... in other words,
> the Mill Stream is actually a national border. But virtually everybody
> either doesn't know that, or doesn't care...
I think that's a very nice laying out of the situation. But everyone still has a vague understanding of it. My and my Vassals lands extend all the way to the edge of Lord Charlie's lands.
I don't think anyone who wanted borders wanted hard and fast "line on the map" borders. (I didn't, anyway, and I will now freely project my opinion on everyone else. *grin*). We wanted some sense of where people thought their influence ended, or what they mean when they speak of Sartar, or the Holy Land, or the Empire.
LC
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