Why Did So Many Aristocrats Experience High Levels of Debt

question 50

Multiple Choice

Why did so many aristocrats experience high levels of debt by the twelfth century?

• A) They were competing with wealthy townsmen over levels of patronage, personal generosity, and displays of wealth.
• B) So many peasants had gained their personal freedom and left the manors for the towns that the income generated for the nobles by the peasantry had drastically declined.
• C) Kings were in the process of expanding their realms and were drastically increasing the levels of taxation on the aristocracy.
• D) Many had left to go on crusades, leaving their families and estates impoverished.

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