Dr. Jewell,
I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of a private government.
Your point about assumed taxation seems to hit the target. I understand that some kings may have spent their resources only on personal comforts rather than commissioning art projects, and that may affect the way they were historically regarded. Perhaps some of the later revolutions wouldn’t have taken place the way they did if the ruling class considered public quality of life as a priority.
