“Effective government depended on the nobility and the elite.” Discuss with reference to two rulers, each chosen from a different region.

The question requires that candidates offer a considered and balanced review of the statement that effective government depended on the nobility and the elite. The statement must be discussed with reference to two rulers from different regions. Candidates may discuss the significance of nobility and the elite, and consider whether they performed essential administrative tasks, served as figureheads, or were separate from the system altogether. Candidates may point out that in kingdoms that lacked a centralized government the nobility and elite served an important role as administrators, whose power derived from the ruler, as done by the Farbas in the Mali Kingdom. Similarly, feudal lords upheld the law in manor courts and fulfilled a role in the defence of the kingdom through the obligation to provide soldiers or financial resources in case of need. Candidates may also discuss the changing role of the nobility and the elite. They may provide examples where cooperation turned to challenge, as in the case of the Kamakura Shogunate in Japan. Candidates’ opinions or conclusions will be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

The question required that candidates offer a considered and balanced review of the statement that effective government depended on the nobility and the elite.