I didn’t know where to put this but I thought it might be interesting:
To collect taxes, Christian IV of Denmark asked captains of ships crossing the Øresund to estimate the value of their cargo, which was applied as the tax base without further audit. But the king also claimed the right to buy the entire cargo at exactly that price.
That is fascinating and brilliant! Thanks for sharing! When that fact works its way into one of my European History lectures next year, I'll be sure to credit you for the info!
