A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar c13.58

c13.58

Though the king was in theory an autocrat, there were several modifying factors in practice. All the members of the royal family shared in the administration as far as possible and had opportunities of influencing the king's policy. Then there were the high officials of the state, some of whose offices were hereditary and who commanded the respect of the monarch by their descent, ability, and character. The presence of numerous feudatory monarchs and the domination of social life by the numerous corporate organizations spoken of above went far to mitigate the bad consequences of the rule of incapable or misguided sovereigns.