Saladin tithe facts for kids
The Saladin tithe was a special tax collected in England and parts of France in 1188. It was created to raise money for a new crusade after Saladin captured the city of Jerusalem in 1187. This tax was a "tithe," meaning people had to give one-tenth (10%) of their income and movable belongings. It was also known as the Aid of 1188.
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Why the Tax Was Needed
In July 1187, the army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem lost a big battle against Saladin. This battle was called the Battle of Hattin. A few months later, in October, Saladin captured Jerusalem itself.
When people in Europe heard this news, they wanted to start a new crusade. A crusade was a religious war to take back the Holy Land. In January 1188, Henry II of England and Philip II of France met to plan this crusade. They decided to collect the Saladin tithe to pay for it.
How the Saladin Tithe Was Collected
The Saladin tithe was a tax of 10% on people's income and movable things. Movable things included items like furniture or tools, but not land.
The tax was collected by church areas called dioceses, not by local government areas. Local sheriffs did not help collect it. Instead, the money was gathered by:
- The local priest or bishop
- The dean of the local church
- The local baron (a powerful landowner)
- A royal sergeant (a king's officer)
- A Knight Templar and a Knight Hospitaller
These Knights were part of military religious groups. They were very interested in defending the Holy Land.
People in the countryside swore oaths to say how much they owned. In towns, a group of people called a jury decided the amount.
What Was Exempt from the Tax
Some items were not taxed. These included:
- Weapons, horses, and clothing of knights.
- Horses, books, clothes, and other items used by church leaders for religious services.
- Precious stones owned by anyone.
Also, anyone who joined the crusade did not have to pay the tax at all. This was done to encourage more people to join the fight. Many people did join to avoid paying the tax.
Everyone else, including church leaders and regular people who owned land, had to pay. If someone disagreed with how much they were asked to pay, they could be put in prison or kicked out of the church.
How Much Money Was Raised
This tax was the largest ever collected in England at that time. A special office was set up just to collect this money.
According to one writer, about £70,000 was collected from Christians. Another £10,000 was collected from Jewish people. This was a huge amount of money back then. For example, £82,000 in 1188 would be like £150 million today!
The tax was very unpopular. People knew it was for a good cause, but they still disliked paying so much. Baldwin of Exeter, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was especially blamed. He spent most of that year traveling and preaching about the crusade.
The same tax was tried in France. However, the French king, Philip, did not have as much control over his country. He faced a lot of opposition. The tax was also less successful in English lands in France. Henry II also asked the Scottish king, William the Lion, to collect the tax in Scotland. But William refused.
What Happened Next
In the end, King Henry II never went on the crusade. In 1189, he was fighting a war against King Philip and his own son, Richard the Lionheart. People accused Henry of using the tax money for this war instead of the crusade. Henry died later that year. Some people believed his death was a punishment for such a harsh tax.
Richard the Lionheart became king after Henry. He found the royal treasury full of money. He also raised even more money by selling land and charging fines. Together, Henry and Richard collected about 100,000 silver marks from the Saladin tithe.
The Third Crusade happened after this. It helped take back some coastal areas for the Kingdom of Jerusalem. But King Richard could not capture Jerusalem itself. On his way home, he was captured and held for ransom.
In 1194, another huge tax was collected in England to pay for Richard's release. This tax was similar to the Saladin tithe, but it was even higher, at 25%. The same way of collecting money was used again in 1207 for King John's wars in France.
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