Category Archives: Magna Carta

13th-Century Food Fights Helped Fuel The Magna Carta

The barons wanted King John to stop seizing their grain. The fish weirs had to go, too.

Originally from NPR.

Imagine it’s England, 1209, and you’re a wealthy baron. You arrive home from London one day to discover that King John’s minions have once again raided your stores of grain. It’s the king’s right, of course — he has a large household and armies to feed — and there’s a promise of compensation.

But all too often that payment arrives late, if at all. And there was that incident last year where the bailiff was caught selling the seized goods instead of handing them over to the king’s men.

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