Strong dynasties often enhanced their survival chances by imposing centralized control through law and administration.

• Codifying Laws: Monarchs like King Alfred the Great codified laws to unify their kingdoms and standardize justice.

• Bureaucracy: The growth of royal officials, such as sheriffs and tax collectors, helped to assert royal authority across distant lands.

 Military Strength and Strategic Defense

Survival required military readiness. Dynasties invested in castles, trained knights, and raised armies to defend their territories and project power.

• Castle Building: Castles served as military strongholds and symbols of royal authority, controlling key strategic points.

• Feudal Levies: Monarchs relied on vassals to provide soldiers, but also maintained retinues of professional soldiers.

 Religious Legitimacy

The Church was a critical pillar of medieval kingship. Monarchs often sought the Church’s blessing to legitimize their rule.

• Coronations: Ceremonies like the coronation with the anointing by a bishop symbolized divine sanction.

• Alliances with the Church: Support from the pope or powerful bishops could strengthen a monarch’s position against rivals. shutdown123