I wrote a letter recently to one of the nobles in my realm concerning the holding of courts and thought your Academy might be interested. Please find a slightly edited copy of this letter enclosed. I hope you find it useful.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It is always important for local lords to keep their peasants happy, lawful, and loyal. I will try to give you some tools to help local lords do this. But since I direct this missive to local lords, I will skip the administrative explanations and just give you an idea of how to run courts more effectively.
When you are holding court, you really only have 3 major choices of leniency. You can be Merciful, Harsh, or something in between, I'll call that "Just" for simplicity. Peasants like merciful courts, it makes them happy to know they have a kind lord. Unfortunately, it also makes troublemakers more adventurous because they think they can get away with more. On the other hand, harsh courts will scare any ruffians into following the law because they know the penalty for breaking the law is high. Unfortunately, the peasants don't like living in fear and they will become more unhappy. Now just courts are a little different. Instead of handing out pardons or chopping off hands, you can try to come to a fair and equitable solution to problems. This generally leaves the peasants feeling that they can count on their lord and government to make good decisions and knowing that their loyalty is not misplaced. They may not always like these decisions, but they know they are right.
|
Morgan Darby
