Collecting Debts

Knights and other nobles are the privileged class, and it is easy for them to simply borrow money and never pay it back. Such, in fact, often occurs. However, money lenders and the later Merchant Bankers are generally protected by powerful patrons who take their part in collecting debts. Merchant Bankers and moneylenders are customarily protected by the king himself. If the bankers are not paid back, they complain to their patron, who is in a position to force collection, even to seizing the ancestral lands and forcing total insolvency of the borrowers. Since nobles are required to maintain themselves at an appropriate level of wealth and appearance, insolvency could even mean loss of their titles and privilege. The titles return to the king or lord who paid the money back to the money lender. The Templars are a holy order, and have the weight of social pressure on their side, so people try to pay them back promptly. They are also protected by the Church, which can enforce collection. Finally, being knights themselves, Templars can take back their own debts without the need for any patron.