Coins from the Carolingian Empire
The Carolingian Empire, which stretched from Western to Central Europe, was the result of the territorial expansion of the Frankish kingdoms under the influence of the Carolingian dynasty during the Early Middle Ages. When Pepin the Short, founder of the Carolingian dynasty, came to power in 751, he fought against monetary anarchy by imposing a silver-based standard. His son Charlemagne decided in 781 to give a forced exchange rate to the currency (20 solidi, so 240 Deniers per Carolingian pound), in order to promote cash exchanges and put an end to barter. By instituting the royal monopoly on mints, Charlemagne really founded Carolingian currency and extended it to the whole of Europe. In 814, his son Louis the Pious continued this policy, adding a new division, the Obol, worth half a Denier. The Empire was finally divided among Charlemagne's grandsons in 843, after the death of Louis the Pious in 840, giving rise to West Francia, East Francia and Middle Francia in between. The latter will experience successive fragmentations throughout the period, with the kingdoms of Italy and Provence to the south, Lotharingia to the north, itself later divided into two separate duchies. The political instabilities caused by fratricidal struggles and external pressures, especially Norman, gradually provoked a challenge to the royal monopoly and the end of the period saw the emergence of a decentralized feudal coinage. The silver Denier characteristic of the Carolingian Empire is nevertheless the direct or indirect model of all Western coinage produced from the 9th to the 13th century.
See also: Frankish Kingdom, France
- Aquitaine, Kingdom of
- Arles, Kingdom of
- East Francia, Kingdom of
- Italy, Kingdom of
- Lotharingia
- Lower Burgundy, Kingdom of
- Lower Lotharingia, Duchy of
- Middle Francia, Kingdom of
- Unified Carolingian Empire
- Upper Lotharingia, Duchy of
- West Francia, Kingdom of
Carolingian Empire › Aquitaine, Kingdom of • Pound (781-987)
2 Obols = 1 Denier • 12 Deniers = 1 Solidus • 20 Solidi = 1 Carolingian Pound
Obol - Louis I (Bourges mint) (781-814)
Silver • 0.58 g • ⌀ 14.7 mm
Prou Car# 655, Depeyr Car# 183, Morrison# 385, N# 339576
Obol - Louis I (Melle mint) (781-814)
Silver • 0.64 g • ⌀ 16 mm
Prou Car# 709-710, Morrison# 393-394, Gariel Car# XIV/5, Depeyr Car# 613, MEC I# I, 777-778, N# 324362
Obol - Louis I (as emperor) (818-823)
Silver • 0.78 g
Morrison# 387-388, Prou Car# 658, Gariel Car# XIV/19, Nouchy# 12 (p. 89), N# 343794
Obol - Lothair I (830-833)
Silver • 0.60 g
Morrison# 554, Prou Car# 658a, Nouchy# 8 (p. 113), N# 343458
Obol - Charles II (832-845)
Silver • 0.69 g
Morrison# 1049-1050; 1053-1055, Prou Car# 668-669; 673-674, Gariel Car# XXII/28-31, Nouchy# 9 (p. 124), MEC I# I, 834, N# 343404
Obol - Pepin II (AQVITANIA) (845-848)
Silver • 0.62 g • ⌀ 17.5 mm
Morrison# 598; 601-604, Prou Car# 659-664, Gariel Car# XX/1-3, MEC I# I, 812-813, N# 185977
Obol - Pepin II (EQVITANIORVM) (845-848)
Silver • 0.64 g
Morrison# 600, Prou Car# 666-667, Gariel Car# XX/5, MEC I# cf. I, 811, N# 348354
Obol - Pepin II (Melle mint) (845-848)
Silver • 0.82 g
Morrison# 608, Prou Car# 691, Gariel Car# XXXVII/4, MEC I# I, 815, N# 346259
Obol - Pepin II (Limoges mint) (845-848)
Silver • 0.40 g • ⌀ 16 mm
Morrison# 611, Prou Car# –, Gariel Car# XX/11, N# 348377
Obol - Pepin II (Limoges mint; two crosses) (845-848)
Silver • 0.92 g
Morrison# 613, Prou Car# 776, Gariel Car# XX/10, N# 348376
Obol - Pepin II (Toulouse mint) (845-848)
Silver • 0.65 g
Morrison# 619, Prou Car# –, Gariel Car# XXXVII/8, MEC I# I, 817, N# 346261
Denier - Louis I (Saint Stephen abbey of Bourges) (781-814)
Silver • 1.29 g
Morrison# –, Prou Car# –, Depeyr Car# 214, N# 348729
Denier - Pepin I (bust and temple) (818)
Silver (.950) • 1.50 g • ⌀ 20 mm
Morrison# 597, Prou Car# 665, Depeyr Car# 176, Gariel Car# XX/6, N# 346260
Denier - Louis I (as emperor) (818-823)
Silver • 1.75 g
Morrison# 389-390, Prou Car# 657, Gariel Car# XIV/18, Nouchy# 11 (p. 89), MEC I# I, 763-764, Depeyr Car# 178, N# 343796
Denier - Lothair I (Bordeaux mint) (830-833)
Silver • 1.60 g
Morrison# 555, Nouchy# 9 (p. 113), Gariel Car# LIX/13, Prou Car# 790, N# 343457
Denier - Pepin II (Bourges mint; bust) (840-852)
Silver • 1.56 g • ⌀ 20 mm
Morrison# 609, Depeyr Car# 188, Gariel Car# XXXVII/1, N# 348345
Denier - Pepin II (Poitiers mint) (845-848)
Silver • 1.70 g
Morrison# 605, Prou Car# 677, Gariel Car# XX/12, N# 348379
Denier - Pepin II (Melle mint) (845-848)
Silver • 1.73 g
Morrison# 606-607, Prou Car# 689-690, Gariel Car# XXXVII/2-3, MEC I# I, 814, N# 340607
Denier - Pepin II (Limoges mint; two crosses) (845-848)
Silver • 1.41 g
Morrison# 612, Prou Car# 775, Gariel Car# XX/9, N# 348342
Denier - Pepin II (Toulouse mint) (845-848)
Silver • 1.63 g • ⌀ 22 mm
Morrison# 616-618, Prou Car# 807-812, Gariel Car# XXXVII/5-7, MEC I# I, 816, N# 8266
Denier - Pepin II (temple) (845-848)
Silver • 1.81 g
Morrison# 621, Gariel Car# XX/13, Prou Car# 1056, N# 348371
Denier - Pepin II (Limoges mint) (845-848)
Silver • 1.84 g • ⌀ 21.5 mm
Morrison# cf. 611, Prou Car# –, Gariel Car# cf. XX/11, N# 346945
Denier - Charles II (Bourges mint; bust) (848-864)
Silver • 0.98 g
Morrison# 1068-1070, Nouchy# 17 (p. 127), Gariel Car# XXII/44, Depeyr Car# 190, Prou Car# 735-738, N# 339757
Denier - Louis II (Toulouse mint) (867-877)
Billon • 1 g • ⌀ 18 mm
Prou Car# 818, Morrison# 1650-1651, Nouchy# 6 (p. 216), Gariel Car# XXXVIII/11, MEC I# I, 966, N# 59498
Carolingian Empire › Arles, Kingdom of • Pound (933-1366)
2 Obols = 1 Denier • 12 Deniers = 1 Solidus • 20 Solidi = 1 Carolingian Pound
Obol - Conrad I (Lyon mint) (942-979)
Billon • 0.45 g
Dy féodales# 2526, PA# –, Morrison# –, Depeyr Car# 534, N# 347584
Obol - Rudolf III (Lyon mint; temple) (993-1032)
Billon • 0.60 g
Dy féodales# 2529, Gariel Car# LXVII/3, Prou Car# 639, PA# CXII/13 ; 17, Chwartz# 215, N# 346026
Denier - Conrad I (937-993)
Silver • 1.20 g
HMZ 1# 1-552Aa, CNI I# S. 34, 8, Biaggi# 2380, PA# 5005, N# 187936
Denier - Conrad I (Basel mint) (937-993)
Silver • 1.45 g
HMZ 1# 175a, Wielandt Breis.# 3, Dann Sa# 959, N# 188751
Denier - Conrad I (Lyon mint) (942-979)
Billon • 1.29 g
Dy féodales# 2525, PA# 5013, Morrison# 1683, Prou Car# 634-636, Gariel Car# LXVII/3, Depeyr Car# 531, Boudeau# 1126, N# 198846
Denier - Rudolph III (Lyon mint; temple) (993-1032)
Billon • 1.23 g • ⌀ 19.1 mm
Dy féodales# 2528, Gariel Car# LXVII/1, Prou Car# 638, PA# 5017, N# 333221
Denier - Henry III (Vienne mint) (1038-1056)
Silver • 1.15 g • ⌀ 19 mm
PA# 4820, Boudeau# 1041, Dy féodales# 2373, N# 107411
Denier with S - Henry III (Lyon mint) (1038-1058)
Silver • 1.14 g • ⌀ 17.9 mm
Dy féodales# 2531, PA# CXII/22-23, N# 333222
Denier - Henry III (Lyon mint) (1038-1058)
Silver • 1.17 g
Dy féodales# 2532, PA# CXII/24, Gariel Car# LXVII/1, Chwartz# 217, N# 346028
Carolingian Empire › East Francia, Kingdom of • Pound (840-962)
2 Obols = 1 Denier • 12 Deniers = 1 Solidus • 20 Solidi = 1 Carolingian Pound
Denier - Louis II (Mainz mint) (843-876)
Silver • 1.62 g • ⌀ 19 mm
Morrison# 594, Depeyr Car# 583, Gariel Car# LXI/10, Prou Car# 35, N# 343914
Denier - Louis II / Louis III (Palace mint) (843-882)
Silver • 1.57 g • ⌀ 20 mm
Morrison# 1223, Depeyr Car# 752, Gariel Car# XXXVIII/8, N# 343916
Denier - Arnulf (Mainz mint) (887-899)
Silver • 1.61 g • ⌀ 22 mm
Morrison# 1532-1533, Prou Car# 36-37, Gariel Car# LXII/1, Walther# 6, MEC I# I, 826-827, N# 106991
Denier - Arnulf (Regensburg mint) (887-899)
Silver • 1.43 g • ⌀ 21 mm
Morrison# 1534, Depeyr Car# 822, N# 346697
Denier - Otto I (Strasbourg mint) (936-962)
Silver • 1.64 g
Dann Sa# 906, Schult# 227, Kluge# 37, E&L# 49f, N# 110882
The Numista referee for coins of this issuer is Compendium.
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