What was a typical obligation of Barons (Tenants-in-Chief) under the feudal system?

• A. To supply a certain number of knights for 40 days a year
• B. To pay only taxes
• C. To govern multiple towns
• D. To defend the king's person personally

Answer: (A)

Barons as Tenants-in-Chief owed the king military service as the core feudal obligation. Their land tenure was granted in exchange for providing armed support, meaning they had to supply knights to fight for the king for a set period each year. In medieval England this is typically described as knight service for about 40 days annually. This arrangement ensured the crown could muster a trained force without maintaining a standing army. Paying taxes or governing towns weren’t the defining duty of a tenant-in-chief; defending the king personally isn’t the standard form of obligation either. The essential idea is that the baron must mobilize and lead his knights for a defined portion of the year to defend the realm, which is why supplying a certain number of knights for a yearly period is the best description.