The ''Reichsmünzordnung'' (, "
imperial minting ordinance") was an attempt to unify the numerous disparate
coins
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 ...
in use in the
various states 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 ...
in the 16th century.
The ordinance was issued in several steps at
Diets at Augsburg during the 1530s to 1560s, but it was never adopted entirely by all princes within the empire.
A first ''Reichsmünzordnung'' was issued by
Charles V in 1524 at
Esslingen, declaring the
Cologne Mark
The Cologne mark is an obsolete unit of weight (or mass) equivalent to 233.856 grams (about 3,609 grains). The Cologne mark was in use from the 11th century onward. It came to be used as the base unit for a number of currency standards, including ...
as the general standard for coin weights. But due to protests by the larger principalities of the empire, the ordinance was never implemented.
In 1551, the
Kreuzer was introduced as the standard for small silver coinage, with 72 Kreuzer being equivalent to a
Gulden, or a silver
Guldengroschen. The silver
Taler was set at 68 Kreuzer.
An official ''Reichsgoldgulden''
[or ''Goldgulden''.
"Goldgulden" is strictly a tautology, as "Gulden" itself already means gold coin, but because of the silver Guldengroschen, "Goldgulden" was used for disambiguation.] was introduced but was only minted for a few years. The definition of a gold and a silver coin (Gulden vs. Guldengroschen) of equivalent value was problematic, as the value of the gold coin tended to rise above that of the silver one, and soon the Gulden was de facto traded at more than the official 72 Kreuzer. This led to the abolition of the official standard linking of gold and silver coins in 1559 under
Ferdinand I. The Gulden was now set at 75 Kreuzer, the
Ducat was introduced as an additional gold coin, and the Guldengroschen, now valued 60 Kreuzer, gradually fell out of use in favour of the Taler.
In 1566, the Diet was forced to recognize the new status quo and introduced the
Reichstaler (at 29.23 grams of 88.9% silver) as the official coin of the empire. The Taler remained in use throughout the Holy Roman Empire until the early 18th century.
References
Further reading
* Eduard Döring: ''Handbuch der Münz-, Wechsel-, Mass- und Gewichtskunde'', Koblenz 1854
p. 20
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reichsmunzordnung
History of Augsburg