Kings vs Nobles #history #kings

Kings ruled by right of God — and still couldn't fund a war without permission. A medieval king's own lands paid for his household, not his armies. To raise real money he had to summon the nobles and bishops who held the wealth of the country and ask. Every time he asked, they asked for something back. England's kings asked the most, and lost the most: first a signature on Magna Carta, then Charles I's army, throne and head. France thought it had solved the problem by never asking at all — until 1789, when Louis XVI ran out of money and summoned the Estates General for the first time in 175 years. Same mechanism, two countries, two dead kings.