Im reading "The Song Of Roland"...?

Question: Im reading "The Song Of Roland"!.!.!.!?

and i was wounder what are franks and barons !?Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

"Franks" is a mideval term for the French!.

The French (Christians) were fighting the (Moslem) Moors because the Moors had invaded Spain!.!.!.and had actually come over the mountians into France on several occasions!.

(Google "Charles Martel" for details)

"Baron" is a rank in the Frankish nobility!. A baron is an independent noble who has his own (small) Army, his own land, and collects his own taxes!.!.!.but he still ranks beneath the King!. At this time the King himself didn' t controll a whole lot outside of the Capital City itself!.!.!. the country was actually run by the Barons!. There wasn't a standing Army!.!.!. if the King needed an Army he went to the Barons and said!.!.!."I'm calling up the Army, show up here on this day with all your men!." !.!.!.maybe they would come, maybe they wouldn't!. In any case the men's first loyalty was to their local Baron first, and to the King second!.

This of course assumed that the Baron was a good leader!.!.!. cowardly Barons tended to get killed off and replaced!.!.!. so you wanted to be out front leading your men, and earning their respect!.

Even though the King technically outranked them, the Barons were very powerful, and the king needed the Barons (as a whole) more than the Barons (as a whole) needed the king!.!.!.!.though most individual Barons needed the King more than the King needed them!. This set up the big check and ballance of mideval politics!. The King would play the individual Barons off against each other!.!.!.but if he got too far out of line the Barons might group together and lay down the law to the king!.!.!.that is what happened in 1215 with the English Magna Carta!.!.but that is another story!.Www@QuestionHome@Com