The aristocrat or court patron lent his prestige to a powerful provincial proprietor, who employed a competent estate-manager to oversee smallholders, who in turn worked their farms with dependent laborers.
The court patron was prestigious due to the enormous amount of land he owned.
mnli hypothesis: The court patron was prestigious due to the enormous amount of land he owned. premise: The aristocrat or court patron lent his prestige to a powerful provincial proprietor, who employed a competent estate-manager to oversee smallholders, who in turn worked their farms with dependent laborers.