Numerous attempts have been made throughout history to ban various kinds of → football games, particularly the most rowdy and disruptive forms. These attempts were most common in → Medieval and → early modern Europe, especially in England, where a multitude of forms of → folk or mob football were popular, among and between villages and urban districts. Between 1314 and 1667, football was officially banned in England alone by more than 30 royal and local laws. King → Edward II was so troubled by the unruliness of football in London that on April 13, 1314 he issued a proclamation banning it: Forasmuch as there is great noise in the city caused by hustling over large balls (grosses pelotes de pee) from which many evils may arise which God forbid; we command and forbid, on behalf of the King, on pain of imprisonment, such game to be used in the city in the future. The reasons for the ban by → Edward III, on June 12, 1349, were explicit: football and other recreations distracted the populace from practicing → archery, which was necessary for war, and after the great loss of life that had occurred during the Black Death, England needed as many archers as possible.