Who were samantas? How did they weaken the authority of the King? Explain with an example.

Answer: Kings often acknowledged big landlords or warrior chiefs, in different regions of the subcontinent, as their subordinates or samantas. They provided military support to the king. The king became increasingly dependent on these chiefs. Some of these warrior chiefs grew ambitious and some of them became independent when the king’s power declined. For example, Rashtrakutas were subordinate to the Chalukyas of Karnataka who rose to power by overthrowing their overlords.