The Wendish Coinage Union () was an organisation bound by treaty formed by the North German

Hanseatic The Hanseatic League was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Growing from a few Northern Germany, North German towns in the ...

towns from

1379 Year 1379 (Roman numerals, MCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * May 29 – John I of Castile, John I succeeds his father, Henry II of Castile, Henry II, as King of Kin ...

to the 16th century whose aim was to have standardised coinage regulations. The core cities involved were

Lübeck Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

Wismar Wismar (; ), officially the Hanseatic City of Wismar () is, with around 43,000 inhabitants, the sixth-largest city of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and the fourth-largest city of Mecklenburg after Rostock, Schwerin and ...

Lüneburg Lüneburg, officially the Hanseatic City of Lüneburg and also known in English as Lunenburg, is a town in the German Bundesland (Germany), state of Lower Saxony. It is located about southeast of another Hanseatic League, Hanseatic city, Hambur ...

, but they were joined for a time by

Rostock Rostock (; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Roztoc''), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (), is the largest city in the German States of Germany, state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the sta ...

Stralsund Stralsund (; Swedish language, Swedish: ''Strålsund''), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Stralsund (German language, German: ''Hansestadt Stralsund''), is the fifth-largest city in the northeastern German federal state of Mecklen ...

and

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

. The basis was the

Lübeck Mark Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and the second-largest city in the state of Schle ...

(''Lübische Mark''), from which coins known as State Marks ('' Staatsmark'') were struck from 1506 to 1530. Furthermore, a number of coin denominations were minted with fractional values of the Lübeck Mark. These were: * The

Witten Witten () is a city with almost 100,000 inhabitants in the Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis (district) in North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany. Geography Witten is situated in the Ruhr valley, in the southern Ruhr area. Bordering municipalities * Bochum ...

valued at 4 ''

Pfennig The pfennig (; . 'pfennigs' or 'pfennige' ; currency symbol, symbol pf or ₰) or penny is a former Germany, German coin or note, which was an official currency from the 9th century until the introduction of the euro in 2002. While a valua ...

s'', the ##Viertelwitten ( Witte, ''Hohlpfennigs'' ("hollow ''pfennigs''), * '' Dreilings, Sechslings, Blafferts'' * Various ''

Schilling Schilling may refer to: * Schilling (unit), an historical unit of measurement * Schilling (coin), the historical European coin ** Shilling, currency historically used in Europe and currently used in the East African Community ** Austrian schilling ...

'' coins. Lüneburg also minted the so-called '' Wendenthaler'', which was also valid in the Coinage Union. The common symbol on the coins was a six-pointed star in the middle of a cross. This symbol was subsequently imitated by many towns in

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Wismar and Güstrow. ...

Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...

and

Holstein Holstein (; ; ; ; ) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider (river), Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost States of Germany, state of Germany. Holstein once existed as the German County of Holstein (; 8 ...

, without them being members of the Wendish Coinage Union. A coinage association (''Münzbund'') that functioned in a similar way was the Rhenish Coinage Union (''Rheinische Münzverein''). After the enactment of the Augsburg

Imperial Minting Ordinance Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Im ...

(''Reichsmünzordnung'') of 1566 and the formation of the Lower Saxon coinage circle, the towns associated in the Wendish Coinage Union also accepted the ''Thaler'' currency. The 7 February 1569 was probably the last minting date of the Wendish Coinage Union. In the Imperial Circle ordinances for coinage of 1568 and 1572, minting was carried out according to the new provisions, whereby the Union dissolved itself.

Literature

* Wilhelm Jesse: ''Der Wendische Münzverein.'' Reprint with supplements and improvements, Brunswick 1967. VIII p., 1 sheet, 322 p., 37 plates.

External links

* Description o
Hagen Bobzin
{{authority control History of Lübeck Currency unions Law of the Holy Roman Empire History of Hamburg History of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Hanseatic League Economy of the Holy Roman Empire 1379 establishments

See also

Literature

External links