Lehal Library

and taxes as they were. In this way the acquired territory and the king’s original possessions will soon form a single entity. But when a ruler occupies a state in an area that has a different language, different customs and different insti- tutions, then things get tough. To hold on to a new possession in these circumstances takes a lot of luck and hard work. Perhaps the most effective solution is for the new ruler to go and live there himself. This will improve security and make the territory more stable. The Turkish sultan did this in Greece, and all the other measures he took to hold on to the country would have been ineffective if he hadn’t. When you’re actually there, you can see when things start going wrong and nip rebellion in the bud; when you’re far away you only find out about it when it’s too late. Another advantage is that the new territory won’t be plundered by your officials. Its subjects will be happy that they can appeal to a ruler who is living among them. So, if they’re intending to be obedient, they’ll have one more reason to love you, and if they’re not, all the more reason to fear you. Anyone planning an attack from outside will think twice about it. So, if you go and live in the new territory you’ve taken, you’re very unlikely to lose it. Another good solution is to establish colonies in one or two places. These work rather like chains to bind the captured state to your own. If you don’t do this you’ll have to keep large numbers of infantry and cavalry in the territory. Colonies don’t cost a great deal. You can send and maintain them very cheaply and they only arouse the hostility of the people whose houses and land are expropriated to give to the colonists. Since that will only be a very small proportion of the population, and since these people will now be poor and will have fled to different places, they can hardly cause much trouble. Everyone else will be unaffected (hence prone to keep quiet) and at the same time frightened of stepping out of line for fear of having their own houses and land taken away. In conclusion, colonies are cheap, more loyal, provoke less