Vassalage Quotes
This is one of the best examples of the Mongol Terror Tactics. They had a completely mobile fighting force. They could evade any large army and attack fixed towns and villages, while opponents could not defend all the locations without enormous expense. The calculus was often that it was cheaper to pay the Mongols tribute than it was to even beat them in the field. In this case, the Hungarians settled and a Mongol satellite group—the Cumans (Western Kipchaks)—moved into Hungary and have been a minority there ever since.
In 1942 it was clear that India would be given its independence soon. There were a number of sticky problems in doing so. One was the fact that when the British came to India, all the states were ruled by Maharajas (Princes, Kings, etc.). The British signed treaties with almost all of them guaranteeing to protect and preserve their local powers in exchange for acceding to British Rule of the national government. But when it came time for independence, democracy was the mode—even in England. The Maharajas insisted that the British leave them with their control of their states as they had agreed, as opposed to creating democratic government at the state level. In the final analysis, the Maharajas lost all their governmental functions and privileges but were able to retain much of their wealth.
Juan Lopez de Vivero. This document was a written declaration of sovereignty and war, read by Spanish military forces to assert their sovereignty (a dominating control ) over the Americas and their peoples. He issued it on “behalf of the King, Don Fernando, and of Doña Juana I, his daughter, Queen of Castille. and León”. It was read to the native peoples of the New World in Spanish which they did not understand and then were held to it on penalty of death thereafter. It was the legal and philosophical foundation for the worst example of colonial abuse in history.
Cities operated on an entirely different plane than the rural countryside which was divided up and given to nobles and the peasants on the land were serfs—virtual slaves to the noble. Cities allowed more equality, opportunity, freedom, modernity, and education. However, serfs would vote with their feet and move into cities leaving the princes devoid of their surf labor. The Emperor tried to stave off this trend by preventing the cities from admitting the surfs who were otherwise generally welcome as they, like immigrants classically provided an excellent source of compliant, low cost labor. Ironically, there are third world countries who even in modern times are trying to restrict the immigration of peasants to the cities.
This early form of estate tax was a very popular act, as inheritors no longer had to pay the full "market price" of the estate to the state in order for the family to continue possession. Thus the estate tax was a welcome alternative for the then wealthy families.
Secretary of the Navy
