Letter 38: To our newly appointed administrator of the eastern territories,

To our newly appointed administrator of the eastern territories, You are taking on a difficult assignment, and we want to give you guidance that will help you succeed in it. The population of the territories under your care has been living under different legal arrangements than those that apply in the older parts of our kingdom. Some of these differences reflect customary law that has deep roots and that we do not intend to uproot. Others reflect abuses that accumulated during the period of uncertain sovereignty and that we intend to correct. Our instruction is to govern with justice and with respect for legitimate local custom, while being firm on the matters where we need uniformity: the payment of what is owed to the royal treasury, the maintenance of public order, and the proper treatment of the church and its properties. Do not try to change everything at once. People who have learned to distrust the king's representatives will not become trusting because you arrive with a list of reforms. They will become trusting because you do what you say you will do and you do it consistently over time. That takes patience. We are available for consultation. Write when you encounter situations where you need guidance. By order of the king