Original scientific paper

Parity of the Dubrovnik Currency in the Middle Ages

Pavo Živković

Abstract

The problem of the Dubrovnik medieval currency has attracted the attention of both native and foreign scientists. Most of them concentrated their research work to the outward aspect of the coins, less to the materials that they were made of.
In this work I want to bring more lights to parity relations among different home currencies on one side and between Dubrovnik and foreign currencies that were in use on the territory of the Dubrovnik Republic in the Middle Ages on the other. Besides we want to give more data on materials that the coins were made of a nd on the weight of each of them.
The Venetian ducat was the base that the other money in Dubrovnik was valued on. Other coins in circulation were: »perper«, »denar—groš«, »poludenar« and »folar-parvulus«. According to the value of ducat, the value of perper (parity 1 : 3) and denar (1 : 24 — 40) was determined. The parity of home money can be followed after the relation between perper—groš (parity 1 : 12) and denar (parity 1 : 30) to folar.
Dubrovnik made coins mostly of silver and copper, an alloy in the proportion of 91,66 : 3,34 per cent at the beginning up to 87,5 : 12,5 per cent. The weight varied, too. It ranged from 1,951 gm (1,787 gm of silver) to 1,214 gm (1,062 gm of the precious metal). The quantity of silver and its weight in single coins depended on its price in the market. It ranged from 14 perpers and 2 grošes per litre in 1338 to 28 perpers in 1442.
The weight of other coins was as follows: poludenar 0,39 — 0,31 gm and folar from 0,7 to 0,6 gm, this latter was made of copper.

Keywords

currency; Dubrovnik; middle ages

Hrčak ID:

243090

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/243090

Publication date:

20.6.1985.

Article data in other languages: croatian

Visits: 2.425 *