Editing Saladin tithe

{{Short description|1188 crusade tax in England and France}}
The '''Saladin tithe''', or the '''Aid of 1188''', was a [[tax]] (more specifically a ''[[tallage]]'') levied in [[Kingdom of England|England]] and, to some extent, [[Kingdom of France|France]], in 1188, in response to the [[Siege of Jerusalem (1187)|capture]] of [[Jerusalem]] by [[Saladin]] in 1187.

==Background==
In July 1187, the [[Kingdom of Jerusalem]]'s army was defeated by Saladin at the [[Battle of Hattin]]; in October, Saladin [[Siege of Jerusalem (1187)|captured Jerusalem]] itself.<ref name=Jones_2013>{{Cite book | last=Jones | first=Dan | title=The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England | publisher=Viking; edition (April 18, ) | year=2013 |edition=revised | isbn=978-0-670-02665-4 }}</ref>{{rp|99}} When news of the city's capture reached [[Europe]] by the end of the year, a new [[crusade]] was promulgated. In January 1188, [[Henry II of England]] and [[Philip II of France]] discussed the crusade at [[Le Mans]], with [[Joscius, Archbishop of Tyre]] in attendance; on February 11, Henry began to organize the preaching of the crusade in England at [[Geddington]]. There he also discussed the "Saladin tithe."

==Collection of the tithe==
The Saladin tithe was a literal [[tithe]] of 10% on revenues and movable properties.<ref name="Jones_2013"/>{{rp|102}}<ref name=Cazel1955>{{cite journal |last=Cazel |first=Fred A. |title=The Tax of 1185 in Aid of the Holy Land |journal=[[Speculum (journal)|Speculum]] |volume=30 |issue=3 |year=1955 |pages=385–392 |doi=10.2307/2848077 |jstor=2848077 |s2cid=159681631 }}</ref><ref>Tyerman, Christopher. God's War: A New History of the Crusades</ref><ref name=Stubbs>{{cite book |editor-first=William |editor-last=Stubbs |chapter=Henry II, King of England: The Saladin Tithe, 1188 |title=Select Charters of English Constitutional History |location=Oxford |publisher=Clarendon Press |year=1913 |page=189 }} Reprinted in Roy C. Cave & Herbert H. Coulson, A Source Book for Medieval Economic History, (Milwaukee: The Bruce Publishing Co., 1936; reprint ed., New York: Biblo & Tannen, 1965), pp. 387–388. Scanned by Jerome S. Arkenberg, Cal. State Fullerton. The text has been modernized by Arkenberg. [https://legacy.fordham.edu/Halsall/source/1188Saldtith.asp]</ref><ref name=Bartlett>{{cite book |last=Bartlett |title=England Under the Norman and Angevin Kings |location=Oxford |publisher=Clarendon Press |year=2000 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/englandundernorm00bart_0/page/165 165–168] |isbn=0-19-822741-8 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/englandundernorm00bart_0/page/165 }}</ref> The tithe was assessed by [[Diocese|dioceses]], rather than by [[Shire|shires]], and local sheriffs had no role in the collection of the tithe.<ref name=Cazel1955/> The money was collected instead by the local priest or bishop, the dean of the local church, the local baron, and a sergeant of the king, as well as, notably, a [[Knights Templar|Knight Templar]] and a [[Knights Hospitaller|Knight Hospitaller]], whose orders were especially concerned with the defense of the Holy Land.<ref name=Cazel1955/> Assessments were made by oaths in rural areas, and by a jury in urban areas. Certain items were exempt from assessment:

<blockquote>This year each man shall give in [[alms]] a tenth of his revenues and movables with the exception of the arms, [[horse]]s and garments of the [[knight]]s, and likewise with the exception of the horses, [[book]]s, garments and vestments, and all appurtenances of whatever sort used by clerks in divine service, and the precious stones belonging to both clerks and laymen.<ref name=Cazel1955/></blockquote>

Anyone who joined the crusade was exempt from the tithe altogether.<ref name=Stubbs/><ref name=Bartlett/> This was meant to encourage participation, and many did indeed join in order to avoid the tallage. All other landowners, both [[Cleric|clerics]] and laymen, had to pay the tithe; if anyone disagreed with the assessment of their property, they were imprisoned or [[excommunicate]]d. While taxes were usually collected by the [[Exchequer]], a separate office with ten tellers was set up to collect the tithe in [[Salisbury]].

According to [[Gervase of Canterbury]], £{{formatnum:70000}} was collected from Christians, and another £{{formatnum:60000}} was collected from [[Jew]]s. The amount collected from Jews was more likely £{{formatnum:10000}}, with another £{{formatnum:2000}} collected in 1190.{{citation needed|date=November 2018}} {{nowrap|(£82k ≈ £150m 2016<ref>[https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator Bank of England UK Inflation Calculator]</ref>)}}. At the time, this was the largest-ever tax collected in England, although Henry had previously levied other taxes for assistance to the [[Holy Land]], in 1166 and 1185. The tithe was extremely unpopular, despite the general acknowledgement that it was, at least in English eyes, for a worthy cause. Because assessments were made by dioceses, [[Baldwin of Exeter]], the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], was especially blamed. He spent most of the year (perhaps wisely) in [[Wales]], preaching the crusade, accompanied by the chronicler [[Giraldus Cambrensis]].

The same tithe was levied in France, but Philip did not have the same centralized government there, and faced much opposition which he could not control. The tithe was also levied less successfully in England's territories in France. Henry suggested that [[William I of Scotland|William the Lion]] levy the tithe in [[Scotland]], but William refused, as English power did not yet extend so far north as to force the tithe upon the Scots.

==Aftermath==
In the end, Henry never went on crusade. In 1189, he was involved in a war with Philip and his own son [[Richard I of England|Richard the Lionheart]], and was accused of spending the tithe on provisions for this war. Henry died later in the year before the crusade was underway; according to Girardus, this was divine punishment for such a harsh tithe. Richard succeeded him and found the treasury full, although he collected even more money by selling land and imposing various fines throughout England. Altogether, Henry and Richard succeeded in raising {{formatnum:100000}} silver [[Mark (money)|marks]] with the Saladin tithe.

The subsequent [[Third Crusade]] helped capture the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]] coast for the remnant of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, but King Richard could not conquer Jerusalem. On his return home he was taken hostage by [[Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor]]. In 1194, another massive tax was imposed on England in order to raise his ransom money. It was essentially a repeat of the Saladin tithe of 1188, but in this case the tax was set at the much higher rate of 25%. The same organizational structure and machinery of collection was used to raise money for [[John, King of England|King John]]'s wars in France in 1207.

==See also==
* [[Taxation in medieval England]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book |editor-last=Douglas |editor-first=David Charles |chapter=Ordinance of the Saladin Tithe (1188) |title=English Historical Documents 1042–1189 |edition=2nd |publisher=Routledge |year=1996 |isbn=0-415-14367-5 }}, See also out of print 1st edition ''English Historical Documents'', Volume 2. Oxford University Press, 1979.
*{{cite book |last=Mitchell |first=Sydney Knox |title=Taxation in Medieval England |editor-first=Sidney |editor-last=Painter |publisher=Yale University Press |year=1951 }} In print edition by Archon Books. 1971. {{ISBN|0-208-00956-6}}
*{{cite book |last=Tyerman |first=Christopher |author-link = Christopher Tyerman |title=England and the Crusades, 1095–1588 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |year=1988 |isbn=0-226-82012-2 }}

{{Taxation in medieval England}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saladin Tithe}}
[[Category:Third Crusade]]
[[Category:Taxation in medieval England]]
[[Category:Taxation in France]]
[[Category:1188 in England]]
[[Category:Medieval economic history]]
[[Category:1180s in France]]
[[Category:Saladin]]
[[Category:Richard I of England]]
[[Category:Tithes]]