Fountainhead of Government

If the feudal world had to be summed up in just three words, they would be strong, stronger, strongest. Obedience was extracted not by a pledge, or trust, or loyalty, but as the result of raw fear of the punishment that disobedience could bring. To tell a noble that you were not afraid of him was a personal insult and frequently led to a challenge. Fear was the fountainhead of government control throughout the world. Rulers wanted to be feared, not loved.

John J. Robinson, Dungeon, Fire, and Sword, p. 33