A closer look
Imagine being sentenced to death for picking up a pretty rock on your local beach. During the 13th century, the heavily militarized Teutonic Order realized the sticky, fossilized tree resin washing up on Baltic shores was a highly lucrative luxury good. They violently monopolized the entire Prussian amber coast, appointing a 'Master of the Amber' to ensure absolute control. Anyone caught harvesting the golden stones without authorization was immediately hanged, turning a natural coastal phenomenon into an incredibly lethal corporate monopoly enforced by crusader swords.
