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Late Middle Ages The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the Periodization, period of History of Europe, European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period ( ...
the ''albus'' was a common
currency A currency is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins. A more general definition is that a currency is a ''system of money'' in common use within a specific envi ...
in parts of the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
, especially in the
Rhineland The Rhineland ( ; ; ; ) is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly Middle Rhine, its middle section. It is the main industrial heartland of Germany because of its many factories, and it has historic ties to the Holy ...
. The name is
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
and means "white". Because of its higher silver content, this lighter
coin A coin is a small object, usually round and flat, used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to facilitate trade. They are most often issued by ...
differed in colour from the other inferior coins. This resulted in the names ''denarius albus'' (white ''
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 ...
''), '' Weißpfennig'' or Rhenish ''groschen''.


History

The ''albus'' was a silver ''
groschen Groschen (; from "thick", via Old Czech ') is the (sometimes colloquial) name for various coins, especially a silver coin used in parts of Europe including Kingdom of France, France, some of the Italian states, and various states of the Holy R ...
'' coin of the
Late Middle Ages The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the Periodization, period of History of Europe, European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period ( ...
that was distributed in the
Lower Rhine Lower Rhine (, ; kilometres 660 to 1,033 of the Rhine) is the section of the Rhine between Bonn in Germany and the North Sea at Hook of Holland in the Netherlands, including the '' Nederrijn'' () within the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta; alternat ...
region from the second half of the 14th century. The four Rhenish electors, who united in 1385/86 to form the Rhenish Minting Union (''Rheinischer Münzverein''), together had the ''Weißpfennig'' minted as a silver coin alongside the Rhenish gold gulden.Heinz Fengler, Gerhard Gierow, Willy Unger: ''Transpress Lexikon Numismatik.'' Berlin 1976, p. 19 Arthur Suhle: ''Die Groschen- und Goldmünzenprägung im 14.und 15. Jahrhundert'' in: „Deutsche Münz- und Geldgeschichte von den Anfängen bis zum 15. Jahrhundert.“ Berlin 1974, pp. 174ff. While the gold ''gulden'' was used as a trade coin, the ''Weißpfennig'' was an "everyday coin".Heinz Fengler, Gerhard Gierow, Willy Unger: ''Transpress Lexikon Numismatik.'' Berlin 1976, p. 268 On one side the Mainz ''Weißpfennig'' displayed the "
Wheel of Mainz The Wheel of Mainz or , in German language, German, was the coat of arms of the Archbishopric of Mainz and thus also of the Electorate of Mainz (Kurmainz), in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It consists of a silver wheel with six spokes on a red ...
" and was therefore also called the ''Raderalbus'' ("wheel albus"). The ''albus'' was introduced around the middle of the 14th century by the Archbishop of Trier, Kuno II of Falkenstein and is first documented in the coinage treaty between
Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
and
Trier Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...
in 1372. Over time, the ''albus'' became the currency of the coin union of the Electors of Trier,
Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...
and Cologne, and was adopted by numerous adjacent territories. On the
obverse The obverse and reverse are the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ''obverse'' ...
there were initially Christian motifs, depictions of
Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...
and the
saints In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Orth ...
. In Trier, from 1625, the ''albus'' was also known as the ''Petermenger'' (''Petermännchen'' or "Little Peter") because it portrayed
Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...
on the obverse. This version was distributed in huge quantities until 1689 and spread across the whole of western Germany to
Westphalia Westphalia (; ; ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the region is almost identical with the h ...
,
Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...
and
Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...
. On the reverse, the coins usually depicted the
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
of the originating city; in Mainz, for example, the
Wheel of Mainz The Wheel of Mainz or , in German language, German, was the coat of arms of the Archbishopric of Mainz and thus also of the Electorate of Mainz (Kurmainz), in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It consists of a silver wheel with six spokes on a red ...
, the so-called ''Raderalbus'', which was worth 24 ''pfennigs'' i.e. a double ''
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 ...
''. The design also changed over time. From 1689 the image of St. Peter was replaced by the "three-peter man" (''Dreipetermännchen''). This coin was very successful and soon became a coveted means of payment as far as the River
Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...
in the east. The ''Dreipetermännchen''remained in circulation in many variants until 1715. In 1760, minting was resumed by the
Koblenz Koblenz ( , , ; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz'') is a German city on the banks of the Rhine (Middle Rhine) and the Moselle, a multinational tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman military p ...
Mint. The inscription III PETERMENGER was replaced by 24 ONE MARCK FEIN SILBER, since it was supposed to be worth 6 ''
kreuzer The Kreuzer (), in English also spelled kreutzer ( ), was a coin and unit of currency in the southern German states prior to the introduction of the German gold mark in 1871–1873, and in Austria and Switzerland. After 1760 it was made of cop ...
s.'' After the coinage edict for the conversion of foreign currencies by
Count Palatine A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an or ...
Wolfgang William of 1 September 1620, the following values were set for the Duchy of Jülich-Berg: 1 ''
Reichstaler The ''Reichsthaler'' (; modern spelling Reichstaler), or more specifically the ''Reichsthaler specie'', was a standard thaler silver coin introduced by the Holy Roman Empire in 1566 for use in all German states, minted in various versions for the ...
'' = 78 ''Albus''; 1 ''Albus'' = 12 '' Hellers''. In the
Grand Duchy of Hesse The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine () was a grand duchy in western Germany that existed from 1806 to 1918. The grand duchy originally formed from the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1806 as the Grand Duchy of Hesse (). It assumed the name ...
the ''
Reichstaler The ''Reichsthaler'' (; modern spelling Reichstaler), or more specifically the ''Reichsthaler specie'', was a standard thaler silver coin introduced by the Holy Roman Empire in 1566 for use in all German states, minted in various versions for the ...
'', ''
Batzen The batzen is a historical Swiss, south German, and Austrian coin. It was first produced in Bern, Switzerland, from 1492 and remained in use there until the mid-19th century. Name Bernese chronicler Valerius Anshelm explained the word throu ...
'' and ''Albus'' were only
coins of account A coin of account is a unit of money that does not exist as an actual coin (that is, a metal disk) but is used in figuring prices or other amounts of money. Examples Mill The ''mill'' (or sometimes, ''mil'') is a coin of account in the United Sta ...
. According to the minting convention of 25 August 1837, the new issue of the '' Reichsgulden'' was also an invoice coin.Christian Noback, Friedrich Eduard Noback: ''Vollständiges Taschenbuch der Münz-, Maß- und Gewichtsverhältnisse.'' Band 1, F. A. Brockhaus, Leipzig 1851, p. 212 * 1 ''Reichstaler'' = 1 ½ ''Gulden'' = 22 ½ ''Batzen'' = 30 ''Groschen'' = 45 ''Albus'' = 90 ''Kreuzers'' = 360 ''Pfennigs'' = 384 ''Hellers'' In the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
(1618-1648), the coin lost its importance, but was still minted regionally as a low denomination coin in the 18th century (e.g. in
Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...
). In Jülich-Berg, '' Stübers'' became more important during the period.


Distribution

Since the Rhenish ''Groschen'' was very popular, it became widespread between
Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...
on the southern border of the Palatinate lands to
Moers Moers (; older form: ''Mörs''; Dutch language, Dutch: ''Murse'', ''Murs'' or ''Meurs'') is a German List of cities and towns in Germany, city on the western bank of the Rhine, close to Duisburg. Moers belongs to the district of Wesel (distric ...
on the Lower Rhine border in the north and was coined by numerous Rhenish and Westphalian lords.


References


Literature

* Heinz Fengler, Gerhard Gierow. Willy Unger: ''Numismatik.'' Transpress, Berlin 1988, ISBN 3-344-00220-1. * Helmut Kahnt: ''Das große Münzlexikon von A bis Z.'' Gietl, Regenstauf 2005, ISBN 3-924861-84-6. * Heribert Engel: ''Finanzgeschichte des Herzogtums Jülich.'' Bonn 1958. * Arthur Suhle: "Die Groschen- und Goldmünzprägung im 14. und 15. Jahrhundert" In: ''Deutsche Münz- und Geldgeschichte von den Anfängen bis zum 15. Jahrhundert.'' Berlin 1974. {{Groschen Silver coins Coins of the Holy Roman Empire Groschen