Some years ago, I read a book about the English kings between Richard II and Richard III called The Hollow Crown, and it is still in my library in Florida. I mention this book (not expecting any of my blog readers to have ever read it) because the book I am reading right now for the De Re Militari in many ways covers the same someground, repeating the ground of the Hollow Crown by looking at the Renaissance kings of England, Scotland, France, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire, where the Renaissance is defined as being from 1400 to about 1580 or 1600, depending on the realm. It might seem as if a subject like the unstable and unsteady world of Renaissance monarchs was an entirely arcane subject devoid of relevance, but such is not the case.

We live in a world where authority is unstable and where those who hold positions of power feel insecure in the face of massive hostility from within and without. This fear leads to many results, both in the appeals that are made to those people who are deemed important to ensure their support, as well as in acts of coercion and attempts to make what is artificial seem natural, and what is sordid seem sacramental. Those who hold positions of power are fond of using elaborate court protocols to pass themselves off as being somehow above ordinary human beings, when in reality their behavior is all too human. Likewise, those people who hold power, especially through inheritance, seek to make what is conventional and entirely optional appear to be a part of the natural order, seeking to clothe themselves with a sense of permanency and security that they lack in the positions and offices themselves.

It is a great illusion that having power solves one’s problems and difficulties. In contrast, gaining power is an increase in hassles. If we are to handle responsibility effectively, we must start by handling what is easy (ourselves), and then move from that on upward and outward as we develop competence in governing others. The size and scope of authority gives the illusion that increased power gives increased resources, when in general it gives increased headaches. In the best case scenario, increased power and responsibility provide the support of allies and friends and supporters who will make the burden lighter by sharing it and by sharing the ability to communicate and work together. All too often, though, positions of power bring with them squabbles over the spoils of office, and fairweather friends whose support is contingent upon meeting their own ambitions that may contrast with the needs of others or the exigencies of the situation. The result is often chaos and conflict instead of increased power and pleasure.

Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown, especially because the possession of great power and authority draws the envy and lust of other people who desire to hold the power and authority that one possesses. Whether we are dealing with electoral rivals or relatives who by blood or marriage possess claims to our thrones or desire to make fresh claims to power and authority for themselves, we have no shortage of those who will take advantage of any weakness on the part of our own regimes, which puts a burden of having to be strong and mighty all of the time to avoid anarchy and chaos. No person and no earthly regime can handle that sort of pressure, and so human authorities inevitably show weakness and seem less mighty and less competent than we believe ought to be the case. What is striking is that after so long a history, we have not gotten better and recognizing the signs and patterns that show power is a trap for the unwary.