Fear Was the Fountainhead of Government Control
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
Author’s emphasis in italics. Mine in bold.
