Livre tournois
Unit | |
---|---|
Unit | livre |
Symbol | ₶ |
Denominations | |
Subunit | |
1⁄20 | sous sol until 1714 |
1⁄240 | denier |
Demographics | |
User(s) | France |
This infobox shows the latest status before this currency was rendered obsolete. |
The livre tournois (French pronunciation:
The 1262 monetary reform established the livre tournois as 20 sous tournois, or 80.88 grams of fine silver. The franc à cheval was a gold coin of one livre tournois minted in large numbers from 1360. In 1549, the livre tournois was decreed a unit of account, and in 1667 it officially replaced the livre parisis. In 1720, the livre tournois was redefined as 0.31 grams of pure gold, and in 1726, in a devaluation under Louis XV, as 4.50516 grams of fine silver. It was the basis of the revolutionary French franc of 1795, defined as 4.5 grams of fine silver exactly.
Circulating currency
John II of France | |
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John, armored, on horseback left, holding sword. Around IOHANNES DEI GRATIA – FRANCORV REX | Cross fleurée; lis in quarters; all within tressure; trefoils in angles; around + XP'C* VInCIT* XP'C* REGNAT* XP'C* INPERAT |
Franc à cheval , 1360
|
Charles V of France | |
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Charles standing facing, holding sword, in Gothic arch flanked by lis; KAROLVS x DI x GR FRANCOR x REX ; there is an R at end of legend
(La Rochelle mint) |
Ornate cross with trefoils at ends; lis and crowns in quarters; all within tressure; lis in angles. XPC* VINCIT x XRC REGNAT XRC* IMPERAT |
Franc à pied
|
In France, the livre was worth 240 deniers (the "Tours penny"). These deniers were first minted by the abbey of Saint Martin, in the province of Touraine. Soon after Philip II of France seized the counties of Anjou and Touraine in 1203 and standardized the use of the livre tournois there, the livre tournois began to supersede the livre parisis (Paris pound) which had been up to that point the official currency of the Capetian dynasty.
The livre tournois was, in common with the original livre of Charlemagne, divided into 20 sols (sous after 1715),[citation needed] each of which was divided into 12 deniers.
Between 1360 and 1641, coins worth one livre tournois were minted, known as francs (the name coming from the inscription Johannes Dei Gratia Francorum Rex, [Jean, by the grace of God, King of the French]).[citation needed] Other francs were minted under Charles V, Henry III and Henry IV. The use of the name "franc" became a synonym for livre tournois in accounting.
The first French paper money, issued between 1701 and 1720, was denominated in livre tournois (see "Standard Catalog of World Paper Money", Albert Pick). This was the last time the name was used officially, as later notes and coins were denominated simply in livres, the livre parisis having finally been abolished in 1667.[citation needed]
Accounting currency
With many forms of domestic and international money (with different weights, purities and quality) circulating throughout Europe in the late Middle Ages and the early modern period, the use of an accounting currency became a financial necessity. In the world of international banking of the 13th century, it was the
The official use of the livre tournois accounting unit in all contracts in France was legislated in 1549, but it had been one of the standard units of accounting in France since the 13th century. In 1577 the livre tournois accounting unit was officially abolished and accountants switched to the
Since coins in Europe in the Middle Ages and the Early modern period (the French
For example:
- the worth of an écu d'or, a French gold coin, was changed from 60 to 57 sols in 1573.
- to curb increasing use of the Spanish real, its official worth was decreased to 4 sols 2 deniers in the 1570s.
Royal finance officers faced many difficulties. In addition to currency speculation, forgery and the
Unicode symbol
₶ | |
---|---|
livre tournois | |
In Unicode | U+20B6 ₶ LIVRE TOURNOIS SIGN |
A glyph for the livre tournois was added to Unicode 5.2, in the Currency Symbols block at code point U+20B6.
See also
- French franc#History
- Louis (coin)
- Luxembourgish livre
- Écu (coin)
- Roman currency