[Illustration: William the Conqueror]

A strange case arose when, in 1066, William, who as duke of Normandy
had sworn homage to the king of France, became, through conquest, king
of England. His sons, great-grandsons, and great-great-grandsons
continued for one hundred and fifty years to be obliged to swear
allegiance to the French kings in order to keep the duchy of Normandy.
It was as if the Governor of Texas had led an army into Mexico,
conquered it, and become Emperor of that country, without resigning
his governorship or giving up his American citizenship.

Two things which tended to break down the feudal system and bring more
power to the common people were, first, the invention of gunpowder,
and, second, the rise of towns. A man with a musket could bring down a
knight in armor as easily as he could the most poorly armored peasant.
Kings, in fighting to control their great lords, gave more freedom to
citizens of towns in return for their help. The king's armies came to
be recruited largely from townspeople, who were made correspondingly
free from the feudal lords.

The rule of the feudal system, that each man owed a certain amount of
military service to his ruler has lasted to the present day and is
responsible for much of the misery that now exists. Kings went to war
with each other simply to increase their territories. The more land a
king had under his control, the more people who owed him taxes, and
the greater number he could get into his army, the greater became his
ambition to spread his kingdom still farther.


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