Originally Posted by Collin

So? A non-Catholic pope is perfectly plausible, but that's another matter. It's easy for leaders to control a group of people who practice one form of government even though the leader himself may not believe in that form of government. If I were a king, I would get up every day and shake my head at the ludicrousness of feudalism even if everyone beneath me strolled about their day praising the system. I'd say that religious figures pull that stunt just as much as if not more than leaders of government.

In case you didn't know feudalism kept the powers of the king in check. The King intention in every feudal country was to centralise control of the country under the King and away from the feudal lords. This is what happened in Spain, France and England eventually.