The Medieval Case Against Taxes: William of Pagula

Despite its reputation as a dark age, the Medieval period was not devoid of intellectual substance. An example of this is William of Pagula, a 14th-​century English priest and scholar who wrote The Mirror of King Edward III, a political treatise condemning the king’s practice of purveyance and excessive taxation. Using a mixture of Biblical and Classical authorities, William made the moral case against interfering with property rights.

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