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14th-century depiction of a plough-team, on which some carucages were assessed

Carucage was a medieval English land tax based on the size of the taxpayer's estate. It was levied six times: by Richard I in 1194 and 1198, John in 1200, and Henry III in 1217, 1220, and 1224. The taxable value of an estate was initially assessed from the Domesday Book survey, but other methods were later employed, such as valuations based on the sworn testimony of neighbours or the number of plough-teams (example depicted) the taxpayer used. Carucage never raised as much as other taxes, but it helped fund the ransom for Richard's release in 1194, the tax John paid to Philip II of France on land he inherited in that country, and the cost of Henry III's military campaigns in England and continental Europe. The tax was an attempt to secure new sources of revenue when new demands were being made on royal finances. Unlike the older danegeld tax, carucage was an experiment in revenue collection and only levied for specific purposes. (Full article...)

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Tragedy by the Sea

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... that physician Melvin Ramsay refuted the suggestion – partially based on the fact more women are affected – that myalgic encephalomyelitis is a form of mass hysteria?
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In the news

US Navy F/A-18 taking off prior to the airstrikes

A US-led coalition launches a series of airstrikes (aircraft pictured) against the Houthis in Yemen, amid ongoing attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
Archaeologists announce the discovery of a cluster of ancient cities in the Amazon rainforest, which predates known complex Amazonian societies by more than a millennium.
President of Ecuador Daniel Noboa declares a state of internal armed conflict against multiple criminal groups.
The Peregrine lunar lander, the first mission on NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, malfunctions after launch on the first flight of a Vulcan Centaur rocket.

On this day

January 13: Saint Knut's Day in Finland and Sweden

William Price

1884 – Welsh physician William Price (pictured) was arrested for attempting to cremate his deceased infant son; this eventually led to the United Kingdom cremation act becoming law.
1953 – Nine Moscow doctors were accused of a plot to poison members of the Soviet political and military leadership.
1968 – American singer Johnny Cash recorded his landmark album At Folsom Prison live at Folsom Prison in California.
1972 – Ghanaian military officer Ignatius Kutu Acheampong led a coup to overthrow Prime Minister Kofi Abrefa Busia and President Edward Akufo-Addo.
2000 – Steve Ballmer replaced Bill Gates as the chief executive officer of Microsoft.

Edmund Spenser (d. 1599)
Art Ross (b. 1885 or 1886)
Michael Bond (b. 1926)
Claudia Emerson (b. 1957)

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Today's featured picture

The Roman amphitheatre of Italica is a ruined Roman amphitheatre situated outside the ancient Roman settlement of Italica in Andalusia, Spain, near the modern city of Seville. It was built during the reign of the emperor Hadrian (who was born in Italica), approximately between the years AD 117 and 138, and was one of the largest amphitheatres in the Roman Empire. With a capacity of 25,000 spectators, it had an elliptical shape of around 160 by 137 metres (525 by 449 ft), with three levels of stands: the first of these remains intact, the second partially so, and the third is mostly in ruin. The amphitheatre, along with the rest of Italica, was largely abandoned by the Romans in the 3rd century. It was rediscovered in the 17th century during the Renaissance, and work to unearth the amphitheatre began in the late 19th century. It is now a tourist site offering visitor tours, and also featured in the TV series Game of Thrones as the dragonpit of King's Landing. This panoramic photograph shows the interior of the amphitheatre in 2015.

Photograph credit: Diego Delso

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