The Dictum was put together by a commission, created by Parliament, to contain three bishops and three barons. Those six selected an additional bishop, two earls, and three additional barons. Participants included a few names we've run into before: Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Gloucester, and John Balliol. They were told to come up with a plan by All Saints' Day (1 November). They announced their solution on 31 October 1266.
The chief aim of the Dictum was for Henry to regain his authority in defiance of the Provisions of Oxford that had been forced on him in exchange for raising the funds he wanted. It asserted his right to appoint his own ministers. He did re-affirm Magna Carta.
The rebels were all land-owning men, and their lands had been confiscated by the Crown. The Dictum offered a pardon for their rebellion and offered to restore their properties to them, but they had to buy them back. The price of purchase would depend on how deeply they were involved in the rebellion.
Was there a fair way to decide what a property was worth? The traditional method was to value it at ten times the value of its annual yield. The king offered them their lands back at only five times the annual yield. Not for everyone, though.
Robert Ferrers, Earl of Derby, who had been vicious in his murder of Jews (considered by the king in England to all be under Crown protection), was charged seven times the value of his lands' annual yields. The commander of Kenilworth Castle, Henry de Hastings, was also charged seven times.
If you had not taken up arms against the king but had been outspoken on the side of the rebels, you were fined at two times the value of the land. If you had been forced to fight by your liege lord you were fined just one year's worth.
This did not go smoothly, however. One of there king's supporters even tried to change his allegiance not long after. I'll explain tomorrow.
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