Örtug or ortig (Finnish: ''äyrityinen'', ''aurto'' or ''aurtua'') was a
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
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 ...
unit in
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
. It was originally minted as a silver coin in 1370 during the reign of king
Albert of Sweden. The coin weighed about 1.3 grams and consisted of 81% silver. As time passed, the örtug was
debased: during the reign of
Eric of Pomerania
Erik of Pomerania ( 1381/1382 – 24 September 1459) ruled over the Kalmar Union from 1396 until 1439. He was initially co-ruler with his great-aunt Margaret I of Denmark, Margaret I until her death in 1412. Erik is known as Erik III as King of ...
, the örtug contained 0.88 grams of silver; under
Christian I, 0.7 grams; and in 1534 only 0.54 grams of silver.
During the reign of
Gustav Vasa
Gustav Eriksson Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), also known as Gustav I, was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560. He was previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm (''Reichsverweser#Sweden, Riksföreståndare'') fr ...
(1523–1560), the monetary system of Sweden was reformed: an örtug was now subdivided into 12 pennings, not 8 as before, while still valued as one third of an
öre
Öre () is the centesimal subdivision of the Swedish krona. In the Swedish language, the plural of ''öre'' is either ''öre'' (indefinite) or ''ören'' (definitive).
The name ''öre'' derives from the Latin word ''aereus/aurum'', meaning gold. T ...
.
Örtug coins were struck during the years 1523–1534; 1535–1540 in
Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
; 1528–1531 in
Västerås
Västerås () is a city in central Sweden on the shore of Mälaren, Lake Mälaren in the province of Västmanland, west of Stockholm. The city had a population of 127,799 at the end of 2019, out of the municipal total of 158,653, over 100,000 mo ...
and 1589–1589 in Stockholm and
Uppsala
Uppsala ( ; ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the capital of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019.
Loc ...
. Production ceased after another monetary reform in 1776.
The örtug is also used as the official name of the currency in the artist
Lars Vilks'
micronation
A micronation is a polity, political entity whose representatives claim that they belong to an independent nation or sovereign state, but which lacks legal recognition by any sovereign state. Micronations are classified separately from list o ...
of
Ladonia.
See also
*
Swedish penning The penning or penny was the Swedish variant of the Norwegian penning that was minted from about 1150 until 1548, and which remained as a unit of account in Sweden until 1777. Originally, penning was first minted in Norway by the kings of Norway, No ...
*
Mark (money)
The mark was a currency or unit of account in many states. It is named for the mark unit of weight. The word ''mark'' comes from a merging of three Germanic words, Latinised in 9th-century post-classical Latin as ', ', ' or '. It was a measure ...
*
Öre
Öre () is the centesimal subdivision of the Swedish krona. In the Swedish language, the plural of ''öre'' is either ''öre'' (indefinite) or ''ören'' (definitive).
The name ''öre'' derives from the Latin word ''aereus/aurum'', meaning gold
...
*
Ladonia (micronation)
References
The History of the Swedish Monetary System''Myntkabinettet'', Swedish Royal Monetary Academy (in Swedish)
*Nordisk Familjebok
(, 'Nordic Family Book') is a Swedish language, Swedish encyclopedia that was published in print from between 1876 and 1993, and that is now fully available in digital form via Project Runeberg at Linköping University. The public domain edit ...
* Zbigniew Żabiński, ''Rozwój systemów pieniężnych w Europie zachodniej i północnej'' (''Development of monetary systems in western and northern Europe''), Zakład Narodowy Imienia Ossolińskich - Wydawnictwo, Wrocław 1989,
External links
Historia szwedzkiego systemu monetarnego
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ortug
Currencies of Sweden
Economic history of Sweden
Medieval history of Sweden
Currencies of Europe
Modern obsolete currencies