Tallage facts for kids
Tallage was an old word for a type of tax. It came from a French word meaning "a part cut out of the whole." At first, it might have meant any tax. But in England and France, it became a tax on land or how land was used. Later in England, it was only a tax the king collected from cities, towns, and royal lands. So, tallage was basically a land tax.
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England
Land taxes were not new in England. Anglo-Saxon kings sometimes collected a tax called Danegeld. But the Normans brought tallage to England. They saw it as a feudal duty. The word "tallage" first appeared when King Henry II was in charge. It was another name for a payment kings and barons sometimes asked for.
Under Henry's sons, tallage became a common way for the king to get money. But it was criticized in the Magna Carta in 1215. After 1283, kings mostly stopped using it. Instead, they asked for money from Parliament. There were three more tries to use tallage. But it was officially stopped in England in 1340. This happened under King Edward III. From then on, Parliament had to agree to new taxes.
Tallage was replaced by other taxes. These included taxes on property and trade. Later, a system with poll taxes was used in the 1300s. The last time tallage was collected in England was around 1332.
| Act of Parliament | |
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| Citation | 25 Edw. 1. c. 1 |
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| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 1297 |
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Status: Current legislation
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| Text of the A Statute Concerning Tallage (1297) as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk | |
A Special Law: The Statute of Tallage
There was a famous law from 1297 called De Tallagio non Concedendo. This means "Concerning Tallage Not to Be Granted." It is printed among the old laws of the kingdom. It was even mentioned in the Petition of Right in 1628. Judges also used it in a famous case in 1637.
This law said that the king could not collect tallage. He could not do it without the agreement of important people. These included archbishops, bishops, earls, barons, and other free people in the kingdom. This law was very important for limiting the king's power to tax.
Tallage and Jewish Communities
Tallage was often collected from English Jews in the 1100s and 1200s. For example, a large tallage of £60,000 was collected in 1189. This was called the "Saladin tallage." The reason given was to prepare for the Third Crusade.
It is said that King John might have collected £40,000 from Jews in 1210. There are also records of tallages under King Henry III. These included 4,000 marks in 1225 and 5,000 marks in 1270. King Edward I also collected important tallages. These were in the early years of his rule.
These taxes were on top of other payments Jews made. They paid for things like land ownership, marriage, and legal fees. They paid these to the English treasury, just like other English people. Some people believe that after Jews were expelled from England in 1290, King Edward I lost this income. This might have been a main reason he had to give up his right to tax Englishmen with tallage.
France
Tallage lasted much longer in France. There, it was a tax collected by the king. It was also collected by landowners from their tenants. It became known as 'taille'. This tax was used a lot during the Hundred Years' War. It was not stopped in France until the French Revolution.
Germany
Tallage never became a big tax in the German states. It stayed a small tax owed to a feudal lord. It was paid instead of other feudal duties. It slowly disappeared as other feudal duties did.
See also
- Danegeld
- Dazdie
- Leibzoll
- Taille
