A Comprehensive Guide to Old French Currency

Old French currency may seem like a relic of the past, but it's fascinating to learn about the different coins and notes that were used in France over the centuries.

The Livre was the main unit of currency in Old France, introduced in 1360 and replaced by the Franc in 1795.

The Livre was divided into 20 Sous, with each Sous further divided into 12 Deniers.

Coins were made of various metals, including silver, gold, and copper, and were often stamped with the king's image or other symbols of French culture.

In the 18th century, French currency was a complex system of coins and exchangeable units.

The basic unit of currency in France was the livre tournois, which was both a coin and an abstract unit of currency.

You might have encountered various coins from around Europe that were "worth" a certain number of livres and used as exchangeable currency in France.

One of these coins was the écu, which was less commonly exchanged.

Other coins from Europe included the real or doubloon from Spain, the florin, ducat, or sequin from Italy, the thaler from Germanic lands and Austria, and the guilder or gulden from the Low Countries.

These coins often didn't show numerical values, but their value was set by official royal edicts.

The average worker in France earned between 3-10 livres per day.

The livre was divided into smaller units, including 1 sol, which was equal to 12 deniers, and 1 liard, which was equal to 3 deniers or 1/4 sol.

Gold coins, such as the gold Louis, were also used, with a value of 20 livres before 1726 and 24 livres after that.

Paper money, called "assignats", was also introduced during this time, but it was not widely accepted.

In France, you'll find a variety of old currency types that are still worth learning about.

The French livre was the primary currency unit from the 13th to the 20th century.

Before the introduction of the euro, the French franc was the official currency of France from 1795 to 2002.

The French currency system was quite complex, with multiple denominations and coins in circulation.

The French Banknotes Catalog is a fascinating topic, and one that's closely tied to the country's rich history of currency. The first paper money, called "assignats", was introduced by the leaders of the French Revolution in 1789.

These assignats were a way to finance the war effort and were printed in large quantities. The average worker earned 3-10 livres per day, which is a significant amount considering the value of the livre at the time.

Before the assignats, France used metallic coins as currency, with a wide variety of coins circulating in the period. The livre tournois was the basic unit of currency in France and was both a coin and an abstract unit of currency.

In fact, the livre tournois was the dollar or pound of its day, and various coins from around Europe could be exchanged for it. This meant that if you handled money in 18th-century France, you might come across all manner of coins, but you would usually conduct business in terms of livres.

The livre itself has a long history, dating back to 781 A.D. under Charlemagne. It was originally equal in value to 1 troy pound of silver and was subdivided into 20 solidi, each of which was further subdivided into 12 denarii.

This system was later used as the basis for Britain's system of pounds, shillings, and pence. The livre remained the official currency unit in France up until 1577, when it was superseded by a new currency.

The écu was a significant coin in French currency, originating from the shield design on its reverse. It was first introduced by King Louis IX around 1250, after his return from The Crusades.

The écu was initially a gold coin, known as the écu d'or, worth about the same as a livre tournois. This was a standard value for the time.

Over time, the écu became devalued, and its size decreased. Eventually, the écu d'argent, a silver écu, was introduced since it was no longer worth making coins out of gold.

The écu d'argent was a direct result of the devaluation of the écu. It was a smaller coin, reflecting the reduced value of the original écu.

In 1640, King Louis XIII replaced the écu with two new coins: the Louis d'or and the Louis d'argent. The Louis d'argent, however, soon became known as the écu again.

The Louis d'or was a gold coin valued at 10 livres and was an exact copy of the Spanish doubloon, containing 6.7 grams of gold.

The franc had been used as a euphemism for certain livre tournais coins as early as 1360. This term eventually became the official name for France's new currency during the French Revolution.

Initially, the franc had a value almost equal to the old livre, with a coin containing 4.5 grams of silver. The franc was officially divided into 100 centimes.

Unofficially, the old term "sou", meaning 1/20 of a livre, quickly came to mean 1/20 of a franc. The 5 centime piece continued to be popularly called a sou.

In World War I, France left the gold standard, causing the franc to dwindle in value. By 1934, its value was only 17% of what it was in 1915.

By 1959, the franc was worth only 2.5% of what it was in 1934. The franc continued to lose value until 1960.

The franc was eventually replaced with the nouveau franc (NF) at a rate of 100 old francs to the new franc in 1960.

The French currency institutions that played a crucial role in managing the old French currency were the Banque de France and the Caisse d'Escompte.

The Banque de France was established in 1800 and was responsible for issuing banknotes and coins, as well as managing the French monetary system.

It was a central bank that helped stabilize the French economy during the 19th century.

The Caisse d'Escompte, on the other hand, was a commercial bank that specialized in discounting bills of exchange and providing short-term loans to merchants and traders.

It was founded in 1776 and played a significant role in the development of the French financial system.

The Caisse d'Escompte's main objective was to provide liquidity to the French economy by discounting bills of exchange and providing loans to businesses.

The Banque de France and the Caisse d'Escompte worked together to manage the French currency and maintain economic stability.