Geld taxed to pay the king and ensure loyalty among Tenants-In-Chiefs.

• A. Geld was set and paid the king as well as reliefs from Tenants-In-Chiefs to ensure loyalty
• B. Geld funded church building
• C. Geld funded foreign wars
• D. Geld replaced by taxes on villagers

Answer: (A)

Geld is a royal revenue tool from the Norman period, used to fund the crown and to secure the loyalty of the great lords who held land directly from the king. The king set the rate and expected Tenants-in-Chief to provide the money, with reliefs playing a key role: heirs paying reliefs to their lord when inheriting estates, which in this context helped bind the lords to the crown. Together, these payments—geld to the king and reliefs from the Tenants-in-Chief—structured royal finances around close feudal relationships and ensured ongoing loyalty.

This isn’t about funding church building or funding foreign wars as the primary purpose, and it isn’t simply a shift to taxing villagers. The distinctive idea is the feudal connection: a king’s general levy (geld) backed by the obligation of Tenants-in-Chief to contribute reliefs, reinforcing loyalty and control.