# Who else decreed layman's value(s) for pi?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-decreed-laymans-value-s-for-pi/628657>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [July 18, 2012, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-decreed-laymans-value-s-for-pi/628657 "2012-07-18T20:47:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2012, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-decreed-laymans-value-s-for-pi/628657/1 "2012-07-18T20:47:18Z")

</div>

Recently re-published article: “[Did a state legislature once pass a law saying pi equals 3?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/805/did-a-state-legislature-once-pass-a-law-saying-pi-equals-3)” (originally from Feb. 22, 1991) discusses various urban-mythological and apparently one real-life attempt to legislate a value for pi that even an elected politician can understand.

I recall from a world history class I took in college, an even earlier attempt was mentioned in the textbook. Will someone please help fight (or confirm) my ignorance here?

It was claimed that a late-medieval or early-Renaissance king tried to decree the same thing. But I don’t remember enough details to be sure of anything. I’m fairly sure the king in question was Frederic Barbarossa, or a least one of Frederics of the era. I haven’t been able to find it with google (but, admittedly, I’ve only tried a quick and superficial search on… something). I’m not entirely sure what more to search for.

Has anybody but me ever heard of this early attempt to decree a simple value for pi?

(Yes, I know about the even earlier attempt mentioned in Leviticus. And I know the ancient Greek math geniuses worked their way through various approximations, but they always _knew_ those were just approximations.)