French livre

The (partly also " the " ) Livre, actually French for pound (of equivalent Latin libra ) was from the 9th to the 18th century a French unit of silver currency. The Regulation of 15 August 1795, the Livre was replaced by the franc.

Monetary

The metal currency in France in the 17th and 18th centuries were pieced both according to the duodecimal and after the decimal.

The Livre was, as originally the English pound, a simple calculation coin ( computational pounds). As such, the Livre has never been characterized as a coin in the kingdom of France with a few exceptions, but served rather than calculation and value base of the building on the Carolingian coinage French Silbermünzsystems. A Livre always consisted of 20 sol ( later called Sou ) or 240 deniers, so that a sol corresponded to 12 deniers. Coined and issued were initially only deniers, so that the sol has been a simple operand, and later sol were minted. ( See also Schilling. )

Originally corresponded to a Livre, as the name suggests, a certain amount (one pound equals, today about 409 grams ) of silver in a precisely defined fineness. From such a pounds 20 sols or 240 Deniers were minted so that 240 deniers originally brought such a pound of silver on the scales.

Since it as their own coin, and thus as real size was not the Livre initially and since 20 sol or 240 deniers always resulted in a Livre, no matter what quality were these coins, the value of the Livre depended to a considerable extent by the quality of this based on the Livre coins from. Since the passage of time the output based on the Livre coins, by reducing the coin weight or purity of silver, were caused from bad to worse, the Livre lost considerable value, so they had only one-eighteenth of the value of 1266 in 1791. As with the Lis d' Argent was in 1656 issued a coin with the equivalent of a Livre, this Lis d'Argent just over eight grams was heavy and had a fine silver content of just eight grams. The later, embossed multi - Livre to 6 livres was in the 18th century, the so-called deciduous crowns, represented here with the simple Livre in foliage Taler only about 4 grams of silver. Finally, the currency name Livre occurred on the assignats of the revolutionary years from 1789.

History of Currency

The calculation pounds as computing and value base and originally also real material basis for a currency Beginning with Charlemagne in use. Over time, originated in France two different invoice pounds. Firstly, the southern Livre tournois, in 20 sol each with 12 deniers the ( = 240 deniers ) disintegrated and the northern to heavier quarter, Livre parisis which, although itself but also fell in 20 sol, the sol to 15 deniers, so it was applied in a total of 300 deniers. Even in the time of Louis XIV, however, were the Livre parisis and disappeared based on it, coins, so that the Livre tournois was the Livre des Ancien Régime. During the French Revolution " Livre " said coins were minted after all, who had but with the classic Livre little in common. The Livre was abolished by the Act of August 15, 1795, but the newly introduced Franc corresponded in weight and fineness of approximately applicable to 1795 Revolutionslivre. Although the franc had prescribed the decimal system and the subdivision in Sous was abolished, the term Sou remained until the 20th century for a twentieth of Francs ( = 5 centimes ) in use.

Purchasing power of the Livre

What purchasing power Livre had today, is hard to determine. Monetary and economic systems are too different, much changed the relevant shopping carts and the value of the Livre is - as mentioned above - fall creeping in already -historic times, in order to draw reliable conclusions. The often assumed price of a minted silver Livre = 5-15 euro is likely to be approximately only usable for the 1760s and until the late 1780s and is used with caution. The papiernen assignats -Livres the revolutionary years after 1789 had much less purchasing power.

1 Louis d'or corresponded to 24 livres 1 sou or sol were one-twentieth Livre, 1 Liard corresponded to a quarter Sou. 1 Sou turn twelve deniers. There were one and two Sou or sol coins. Three deniers corresponded to a Liard. 3 Livre were a Taler ( Écu ).

An average table d'hôte lunch menu or cost 1 Livre; the price of a loaf of bread was between two sous to 12 sous. A cup of café au lait at a sidewalk cafe cost two sous. The usual seat at the Comédie française was to acquire for 1 Livre and at the Opéra for 2 livres, 8 sous. The ride with a stagecoach, carrosse from Bordeaux to Paris cost 72 livres. A printer as in the production of the Encyclopédie earned 2 Livre per day, a foreman whose 3 A horse of a Salesman cost about 100 Livre, a new printing press hit with 300 livres to book a used was to purchase for 250 livres, a ream equivalent to 500 sheets of paper, costing 9 livres. A Minot salt cost 60 livres and seven sous. The shoeshine cost in Paris around 1775, 2 Liards, ie 6 deniers. The price for the Government Gazette supported by cost as an annual subscription in 1774 12 livres and 15 livres in 1785. The prostitute remuneration moved around the year 1790 in the area of the Palais Royal in Paris between 7 to 20 livres.

Despite the difficulties to compare the purchasing power of a historical currency with the currency today, here's a test:

Pictures

Liard of Louis XVI.

Louis d'or of Louis XIV

Louis d'or of Louis XV.

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