The difficulty which all the medieval Kings experienced in greater or less degree was the establishing of themselves in the People’s love. The King needed the People as much as the People needed the King, but it was ever the object of interested parties to hold them asunder. And so was witnessed a perpetual struggle between, on the one hand, King and Church, anxious alike to hold their servants and ministers in subjection to duty, and, on the other hand, unruly servants and ministers, barons and prelates, seeking means of sustaining themselves in revolt against both spiritual and temporal authority, and so very often becoming allied to the financial powers.
