The lira (plural: ''lire'') was the currency of the

Grand Duchy of Tuscany The Grand Duchy of Tuscany (; ) was an Italian monarchy located in Central Italy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1860, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In the 19th century the population ...

until its annexation by

Napoleonic France The First French Empire or French Empire (; ), also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. It lasted from ...

in 1807. After that year, it unofficially remained in circulation thanks to its silver value until the restoration of Tuscan independence in 1814. It was finally abolished in 1826.

History

It was subdivided into 20 '' soldi'', each of 3 ''quattrini'' or 12 ''denari'' (singular: ''soldo'', ''quattrino'', ''denaro''). Other denominations included the '' crazia'' worth q.5; the ''grosso'' worth q.20; the ''

paolo Paolo is a masculine given name, the Italian language, Italian form of the name Paul (name), Paul. It may refer to: People Art * Paolo Abbate (1884–1973), Italian-American sculptor * Paolo Alboni (1671–1734), Italian painter * Paolo Anton ...

'' worth q.40 or lira; the ''testone'' worth 3 paoli; and the crown-sized ''francescone'' worth 10 paoli or lire. In 1803 the Tuscan lira was equivalent to 0.84

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 ...

s, 0.84

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 ...

, or 3.78 grams of fine

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. ...

. In 1826 it was replaced by the Tuscan fiorino worth 100 quattrini or lira.

Coins

In the late 18th century, copper coins circulated in denominations of q.1, q.2, and s.1, together with billon q.10 and silver , 1, 2, 5 and 10 paoli. In the early 19th century, copper s. and s.2 were added, together with silver 1lira and 10lire. The 10-lira coin was known as dena and the 5-lira coin was known as meza-dena ("half-dena").

References

* {{Historic Italian currency and coinage Obsolete Italian currencies Modern obsolete currencies 1826 disestablishments History of Tuscany Pound (currency)

History

Coins

See also

References