Compare and contrast the methods used by two medieval rulers to expand their power.

Candidates will give an account of the similarities and differences between the methods used by two medieval rulers to expand their power, referring to both rulers throughout. While the focus of the response must be within the timeframe of this topic, the two rulers need not have been contemporaries and they may or may not be chosen from a different region. Methods under scrutiny could include the exploitation of lineage or marriage, claims to religious or divine support, opportunistic exploitation of neighbours’ weakness or division, exploration or commercial expansion. To achieve comparison or contrast, methods must be assessed rather than merely described.