Posted: May 24, 2000 at 14:41:12: by pabbott
I think we are dealing here with something like a feudal system. Well compliance with a call for troops was not strictly speaking voluntary, the ability of central authority to force obedience was somewhat limited. Another analogy might be A. Lincoln's call for the states to supply troops at the beginning of the Civil War. While the northern states complied, many of the border states refused. At that point in time Lincoln was not in position to enforce his decree (though later he was.) I think Denethor was in roughly the same situation.
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