How Far, and Why, was Military Strength an Essential Ingredi

Any definition of statecraft must incorporate three basic elements. These are the ability to maintain internal cohesion within the kingdom’s borders, the ability to defend the integrity of those borders and finally, if necessary, the ability to expand successfully. So what are the mechanisms that a king may utilise in order to satisfy these needs? Internal cohesion is a complex matter which involves a host of different processes and mechanisms. These may include a sense of shared identity, institutions, religion, law, interdependence and so on. Opposing these are a number of centrifugal forces which tend to break up the state such as rivalries, ambitions and conflicting ideologies and ideas. These are all considerations that a state must address, to build for itself a sustainable machinery of governance. Military force is undoubtedly an important lever in any such machine. The ability to protect the boundaries of the state will depend on a number of factors. Issues of geography and infrastructure and the strength, willingness and ability of your enemies to attack you must all be considered.

The role of the church was perhaps more prominent in the Frankish empire than in Mercia. Certainly the Frankish empire was important to the church as it became the basis of temporal power for Roman Christianity (as opposed to Orthodox Christianity). The church therefore had an interest in guiding Frankish rulers and insinuating themselves into the construct of the state. This policy culminated in the coronation of Charlemagne. The church was useful to later Frankish rulers as a means of legitimising their power. Charlemagne for example saw himself as one of God’s temporal appointees and could present himself as conducting God’s will. This did not necessarily stop problems of raiding church lands but it gave an ideological dimension to statecraft.

This system, whilst having an elegant self-sustaining logic, had to be assiduously maintained. The king absolutely had to be assured of the loyalty of his lords and that they were maintaining their obligations. He also needed to have control over sufficient land to be able to reward those who followed him. The more land he had the bigger the network of loyalties he could attract and thus the stronger his position.

Some topics in this essay:
Missi Francia, Francia Charlemagne, Structures Offa’s, Frankish Kings, Scarcely AD, Francia Mercia, Mercia Francia, Anglo-Saxon England, Offa Evidence, King Ine, military strength, internal cohesion, mercia francia, military service, frankish empire, obligation loyalty, loyalty lords, spoils war, king able, code attributed king, sense shared, military strength vital, saxon law code, sense shared identity, law code attributed,