# A Middle Ages Question PLEASE HELP **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 22, 2007, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-middle-ages-question-please-help/397102 "2007-03-22T23:36:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Knight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@Dragon\_Knight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Knight)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2007, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-middle-ages-question-please-help/397102/1 "2007-03-22T23:36:17Z")
what country besides England didnt have a written constitution ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2007, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-middle-ages-question-please-help/397102/2 "2007-03-22T23:46:55Z")
1. This really belongs in GQ. 2. In Medieval Europe, **most** countries had no written constitution. I can’t think of one that did. (Maybe the Holy Roman Empire at some periods.) The kingdom was what it was. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2007, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-middle-ages-question-please-help/397102/3 "2007-03-22T23:48:45Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] 1. This really belongs in GQ. 2. In Medieval Europe, **most** countries had no written constitution. I can’t think of one that did. (Maybe the Holy Roman Empire at some periods.) The kingdom was what it was. [/QUOTE] 1. No it doesn’t. It belongs at the end of the chapter, where it was probably found. 2. Would be my guess, too. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-middle-ages-question-please-help/397102/4 "2007-03-23T00:02:21Z")
It’s a trick question. There were two countries in the middle ages, besides England, that didn’t have a written constitution: Guilder and Florin. Florin eventually got one, largely to settle disputes over screaming eel fishing rights, but that wasn’t until the late Renaissance period. ---
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Knight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@Dragon\_Knight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Knight)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-middle-ages-question-please-help/397102/5 "2007-03-23T00:02:57Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] 1. This really belongs in GQ. 2. In Medieval Europe, **most** countries had no written constitution. I can’t think of one that did. (Maybe the Holy Roman Empire at some periods.) The kingdom was what it was. [/QUOTE] Sorry it isnt the Holy Roman Empire i sent the teacher that answer he said no it has to be something else ---
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Knight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@Dragon\_Knight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Knight)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-middle-ages-question-please-help/397102/6 "2007-03-23T00:10:32Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] It’s a trick question. There were two countries in the middle ages, besides England, that didn’t have a written constitution: Guilder and Florin. Florin eventually got one, largely to settle disputes over screaming eel fishing rights, but that wasn’t until the late Renaissance period. [/QUOTE] Srry im also talking to ppl that live in england and i dont need to know about coins i need to know about countries ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-middle-ages-question-please-help/397102/7 "2007-03-23T00:26:35Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] It’s a trick question. There were two countries in the middle ages, besides England, that didn’t have a written constitution: Guilder and Florin. Florin eventually got one, largely to settle disputes over screaming eel fishing rights, but that wasn’t until the late Renaissance period. [/QUOTE] Well, Guilder did have the “Charter of Freedoms”, that was forced on King Ruprecht after the Battle of Schmutzen. Of course, he repudated that as soon as possible, so that might not count. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-middle-ages-question-please-help/397102/8 "2007-03-23T00:30:28Z")
Wikipedia isn’t exactly clear on the matter, but it seems like the Magna Carta was the closest thing anybody had to a Constitution in the Middle Ages. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-middle-ages-question-please-help/397102/9 "2007-03-23T00:44:02Z")
We help with homework now? ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-middle-ages-question-please-help/397102/10 "2007-03-23T00:47:01Z")
Guys, we aren’t supposed to help with homework. The question is stupid: in the Middle Ages no one had a written constitution, in the sense that we in the United States think of. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-middle-ages-question-please-help/397102/11 "2007-03-23T00:59:35Z")
I based my answer on my feeling that there was at least a reasonable doubt that this was homework. I’m not totally sure that it is, though I’m leaning that way, but it’s not at all improbable that this guy was talking to his teacher outside of class. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-middle-ages-question-please-help/397102/12 "2007-03-23T01:11:32Z")
To the extent that this post belongs on the Straight Dope, it belongs in **General Questions** , not in **Great Debates**. I’ll be sending it there shortly. **Dragon\_Knight** , we have a long tradition of not answering straight up homework questions. What we will do, instead, is point out how you can find the answer to your question on your own. If you go to [Google™](http://www.google.com/) and enter a set of different strings such as “constitution first” or “constitutions origins” or “constitutions history” you will get a number of web sites in response that will let you look for the answer you need. (And just for the record, Guilder and Florin, in addition to being coins, are also countries as described in S Morgenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure and redacted by William Goldman as the basis for the movie The Princess Bride.) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-middle-ages-question-please-help/397102/13 "2007-03-23T01:47:04Z")
[QUOTE=tomndebb] (And just for the record, Guilder and Florin, in addition to being coins, are also countries as described in S Morgenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure and redacted by William Goldman as the basis for the movie The Princess Bride.) [/QUOTE] It was a cruel joke. They should have said the Duchy of Grand Fenwick and Freedonia. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-middle-ages-question-please-help/397102/14 "2007-03-23T02:50:43Z")
AFAIK, the US Const was the first fully written out Constitution. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-middle-ages-question-please-help/397102/15 "2007-03-23T04:15:14Z")
Ahh, [**Freedonia**](http://www.freedonia.org/)! Did I ever tell you I was related to Firefly? Relatively of course… ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-middle-ages-question-please-help/397102/16 "2007-03-23T08:17:09Z")
[QUOTE=DrDeth] AFAIK, the US Const was the first fully written out Constitution. [/QUOTE] Fully “written-out” constitutions go back to the third millennium BCE. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-middle-ages-question-please-help/397102/17 "2007-03-23T09:07:14Z")
[QUOTE=DrDeth] AFAIK, the US Const was the first fully written out Constitution. [/QUOTE] What, no love for the [Articles of Confederation](http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/artconf.htm)? ☹ CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-middle-ages-question-please-help/397102/18 "2007-03-23T09:17:29Z")
[QUOTE=Dragon\_Knight] what country besides England didnt have a written constitution [/QUOTE] What country is beside England? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-middle-ages-question-please-help/397102/19 "2007-03-23T09:25:49Z")
[QUOTE=BrightNShiny] What country is beside England? [/QUOTE] Scotland and Wales. ---
**Author:** ![FRDE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e68b1a/32.png) [@FRDE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FRDE)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-middle-ages-question-please-help/397102/20 "2007-03-23T09:32:46Z")
Ah, maybe it is a trick question What country adjacent to England did not have a written constitution. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-middle-ages-question-please-help/397102.md?page=2)