The Rashtrakutas and their Times c19.s2.34

c19.s2.34

If the central government became weak, the feudatories used to be practically independent. They could then exact their own terms for supporting the fortunes of their titular emperor; the commentary on the *Rāmapālacharit* shows how Rāmapāla of Bengal had to pay a heavy price in order to get the support of his feudatories for winning the throne.⁹² Their position became still more strong if there was a war of succession; they could then take sides and try to put their nominee on the imperial throne, thus playing the role of the king-makers. On such occasions they could pay off their old scores by dethroning their old tyrant and imposing their own terms on the new successor. Dhruva, Amoghavarsha I and Amoghavarsha III had owed their thrones to a considerable degree to the support of their feudatories. The weakness of the position of Amoghavarsha I was to a large extent due to the fact that he owed his throne to his feudatories, like the cousin ruler of the Gujarat branch, who would not brook the former degree of the imperial control.