Dialogus de Scaccario facts for kids
The Dialogus de Scaccario, also known as the Dialogue concerning the Exchequer, is a special book from the Middle Ages. It's about how the English Exchequer worked. The Exchequer was like the government's money department back then. This book was written in the late 1100s by Richard FitzNeal.
The book is written in Latin and is set up like a conversation. It's a series of questions and answers, explaining everything about the Exchequer. It covers how it was set up, what it did, and how it handled money. Experts say this book is super important for understanding early English history. It helps us see what life was like and how the government worked. The book has been printed many times, with the newest version coming out in 2007.
Who Wrote This Important Book?
This amazing book was most likely written by Richard FitzNeal. He was a very important person, the Lord High Treasurer for King Henry II. This means he was in charge of all the money for the king!
The exact year the book was written is a bit of a mystery. Some experts think it was before 1179. Others suggest it might have been around 1181 or 1188. No matter the exact year, it was written in the late 1100s.
The book is split into two main parts. It's written like a conversation between a smart lawyer and his student. The first part explains how the Exchequer was organized. It describes the different parts, like the "Upper Exchequer" and "Lower Exchequer." It also tells us about the people who worked there and what their jobs were. The second part shows how the Exchequer actually worked day-to-day. It explains how they handled money and managed cases.
Why This Book Is Still Important Today
The Dialogue concerning the Exchequer has been published many times over the centuries. This shows how valuable it is! New versions came out in the 1700s and 1800s. Then, in 1902, Clarendon Press published it again.
Later, in 1950, a new edition with helpful notes was released. This one was put together by Charles Johnson. It was very popular and helped many people understand medieval money. One expert, K.R. Potter, said it was "a most helpful guide" for those new to how money worked back then.
Another expert, Ernest Henderson, called it "one of the few actual treatises of the middle ages." He explained that it was a very detailed book about what happened when the Exchequer officials met twice a year. It also described where the English king got all his money and how they collected it. He said the book's value "cannot be over-estimated" for understanding early English history.
The most recent edition was published in 2007 by Oxford University Press. It was edited and translated by Emilie Amt and S. D. Church. This new version is also very useful for students and historians.
See also
- Tractatus of Glanvill, another old book from the same time about English law.
