ABSTRACT
The indentures between Hastings and his retainers all provided that the latters' allegiance to the King had a prior claim over any obligation they had to their lord, and a man who was receiving fees from various lords had some interest in maintaining peace between them. It is clear that many men did break indentures which had been made, although people do not know whether this was done by agreement between the lord and his man or by the unilateral action of one party. The principal problem which will be considered in this chapter is whether the bonds of social organization, what is known as bastard feudalism, were particularly conducive to disorder. In times of civil disorder, a man without a lord was vulnerable, unless he could entirely avoid political entanglements. The legislation against retaining was based on the premise that it could cause social disorder and undermine royal authority.
