Answer :
Final answer:
In early societies, rulers often emerged from among religious leaders, military generals, or the wealthy elite, with positions solidified through control over resources, military might, or spiritual authority.
Explanation:
In early societies, the ruler often emerged from among religious leaders, military generals, or from the wealthy elite. In the cities of Sumer, for instance, religious priests originally ruled by representing local gods and managing communal lands, which transitioned over time to the fusion of religious and secular powers in the figure of the lugal. Similarly, throughout different societies and periods, those who could muster the necessary resources—whether through wealth, military might, or spiritual authority—often became rulers.
Rulers in early societies could acquire their position by controlling trade routes or through alliances, and they often used gifts to maintain loyalty among their followers. Wealth begot power, which held true across various civilizations and time periods, such as during the 16th to 18th centuries in Europe, where the wealth of a monarch allowed them to hire mercenaries and wage wars.
In early Islamic society, despite other roles being present like the mawali who were non-Arab converts to Islam, or the caravan traders along the Silk Roads, it was often the military leaders and those with wealth who became rulers. The dynamics of power saw shifts in who held sway, as seen with the pharaohs of Egypt who were political heads of state and high priests. Post-independence Mexico saw the rise of wealthy landowners and the church hierarchy at the pinnacle of power.
