Rulers who lack bureaucratic machinery to administer an entire kingdom often transfer some authority to feudal noblemen, typically in return for tax revenues and military service. In turn, these noblemen may delegate power to lesser noblemen, and so on. The nobleman becomes a government in miniature. Feudal lords emphasize their martial functions, but they are administrators and judges, too, assessing taxes and hearing court cases. As the owners of vast farmlands, they are ultimately important farmers whose decisions strongly influence how peasants till their own fields. Balancing their martial, agricultural and judicial duties is not an easy task.