Welcome to a journey through time, where the laws were stranger than fiction, the punishments more curious than crime, and the rulers just a little bit mad. Imagine living in a world where your morning coffee could get you executed, your nagging neighbour dunked in a pond, and your cattle fined for strolling down the streets of London. These aren't scenes from a Monty Python sketch-they're the real laws of our past.

History, as it turns out, is not just about wars and treaties; it's also about the peculiar rules that governed everyday life. This book is your ticket to a world where laws were crafted to control everything from the length of your beard to the number of days in a week. Prepare to be shocked, amused, and sometimes bewildered as we delve into the astonishing ways societies have tried to keep order (or chaos) throughout the ages.