  We investigate the magnetic properties of archetypal transition-metal oxides
MnO, FeO, CoO and NiO under very high pressure by x-ray emission spectroscopy
at the K\beta line. We observe a strong modification of the magnetism in the
megabar range in all the samples except NiO. The results are analyzed within a
multiplet approach including charge-transfer effects. The pressure dependence
of the emission line is well accounted for by changes of the ligand field
acting on the d electrons and allows us to extract parameters like local
d-hybridization strength, O-2p bandwidth and ionic crystal field across the
magnetic transition. This approach allows a first-hand insight into the
mechanism of the pressure induced spin transition.
