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Medieval Kingship

Why was military strength so important for medieval kings?

Quite cheeky to ask people to do your homework for you, but I'll delineate nonetheless. (;

Primarily, you need to consider the chivalric code. This term loosely origniates from the Holy Roman Empire and was developed by the Dutch Court in the 15th century. Essentially, though no formal doctrine describes the concept, there was great valor and honour to be gained through military action, especially if a warrior-King participated. Even if this didn't fit a King's character or capabilities, many nobles would desire such honour, thus war was a good way to maintain the nobility's favour.

Other than that, a strong military was very much a requirement. If a King wanted to earn himself a reputation on an international level, he'd need to conquer foreign lands. Vice versa, if stability was to be maintained, a King would have to ensure strong military could repel foreign invaders with the same ambitions.