The lira (

plural In many languages, a plural (sometimes list of glossing abbreviations, abbreviated as pl., pl, , or ), is one of the values of the grammatical number, grammatical category of number. The plural of a noun typically denotes a quantity greater than ...

: ''lire'') was the distinct currency of

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

before 1802 and again from 1815 to 1859.

History

First lira

The

Duchy of Parma The Duchy of Parma and Piacenza (, ) was an Italian state created in 1545 and located in northern Italy, in the current region of Emilia-Romagna. Originally a realm of the Farnese family after Pope Paul III made it a hereditary duchy for his s ...

issued its own currency until it was annexed to France in 1802. This lira was subdivided into 20 ''soldi'' (

singular Singular may refer to: * Singular, the grammatical number that denotes a unit quantity, as opposed to the plural and other forms * Singular or sounder, a group of boar, see List of animal names * Singular (band), a Thai jazz pop duo *'' Singula ...

: ''soldo''), each of 12 ''denari'' (singular: ''denaro''), with the ''sesino'' worth 6 denari and the ''ducato'' was worth 7 lire. The currency was replaced by the

French franc The franc (; , ; currency sign, sign: F or Fr), also commonly distinguished as the (FF), was a currency of France. Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amoun ...

Second lira

After the re-establishment of Parman independence, a national currency was introduced in 1815. Also called the lira, it was subdivided into 20 ''soldi'' or 100 ''centesimi''. However, this lira was equal to the

and the

Sardinian lira The lira (: ''lire'') was the currency of the Kingdom of Sardinia between August 6, 1816, and March 17, 1861. History It was subdivided into 100 ''centesimi'' (singular ''centesimo'') and was equal in value to the French franc (4.5 grams of sil ...

, and it circulated alongside the latter. It weighed 5 grams, and had a purity of 9/10 of

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

. Since 1860, Parma has used the equivalent

Italian lira The lira ( , ; : lire, , ) was the currency of Italy between 1861 and 2002. It was introduced by the Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic), Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy in 1807 at par with the French franc, and was subsequently adopted by the different s ...

Coins

First lira

In the late 18th century, circulation coins included copper 1 sesino, billon 5, 10 and 20 soldi, silver , 1, 3 and 6 lire, and 1/14, 1/7, , and 1 ducato. Gold coins were issued in denominations of 1 ''zecchino'' and , 1, 3, 4, 6 and 8 ''doppia''.

Second lira

In 1815, silver coins were introduced in denominations of s.5 and s.10, L.1, L.2 and L.5, together with gold L.20 and L.40. Copper c.1, c.3 and c.5 were added in 1830. All coins until the death of Marie Louise were minted by the

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n State in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

. When the

House of Bourbon The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a dynasty that originated in the Kingdom of France as a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Kingdom of Navarre, Navarre in the 16th century. A br ...

rose to the throne in 1847, the Parman

mint Mint or The Mint may refer to: Plants * Lamiaceae, the mint family ** ''Mentha'', the genus of plants commonly known as "mint" Coins and collectibles * Mint (facility), a facility for manufacturing coins * Mint condition, a state of like-new ...

was re-opened but the intended issue of copper c.1, c.2 and c.5 was abandoned after the duke Charles III, whose effigy was presented on the coins, was assassinated in 1854. The only issued coin, L.5 of 1858, was struck in 1,000 copies.

References

External links

{{Lira Pound (currency) Franc Obsolete Italian currencies Modern obsolete currencies Duchy of Parma 1802 disestablishments 1815 establishments in Italy 1859 disestablishments

History

First lira

Second lira

Coins

First lira

Second lira

See also

References

External links