The Heist Worth a Trillion in Today’s Value

In 1303, the king of England would fall victim to one of the largest thefts of all time

Edward I, victim of the worst heist of the Medieval era. (Credit: Wiki Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0)

King Edward, I of England did not realize he had been robbed until reports started to flow in of extraordinary events unfolding in London. Brothel owners were being paid in gold florins. Fishermen were pulling up silver plates and cups stamped with the royal seal. Store owners were being paid with priceless objects and suspicious coins that seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

King Edward had been residing in York for many years, due to his campaigns against the Scots in the north, and had left London unsupervised. He did not realize how bad things had gotten out of control until it was too late. In a furious rage, the king and his men hurried back to London to assess the damages.

What they found astounded them.

Edward’s financial situation

At the time, the king of England was in a desperate financial state. Multiple expensive military campaigns and an unpopular tax policy had left him without much in the way of liquid assets. Most of the royal treasury followed the king wherever he went, under strict guard by loyal companions and men-at-arms. There was no traditional “treasury” or vault that contained the…