Why were strong kings rare and central government generally missing under the fudal system?

Question

Why were strong kings rare and central government generally missing under the fudal system?

Answer 1

Kings under the feudal system generally had weak methods for gathering taxes and for ensuring their rule.  For both, since the King's writ didn't extend directly through a country, they were often reliant on local governing mechanisms.  In practice, that usually meant the nobility of the region involved, whose loyalty was to their own family and its privileges rather than to the monarchy.