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Crown of Aragon ready reckoner

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In Jews in the Notarial Culture: Latinate Wills in Mediterranean Spain, 1250-1350, Robert I Burns, SJ, writes:

Moneys in testamentary legacies followed the standard medieval pattern of the penny, the sou (or shilling) containing 12 pence, and the pound containing 20 sous or 240 pence. Only the penny and half-penny (òbol) were actually minted and circulated until 1285, the sou and pound being ghost moneys, or moneys of account for reckoning. For serious commerce the crown issued imitation Islamic gold coins, especially the Josephine and pseudo-Josephine mazmodins and the Alfonsine and Almoravid morabatins, as well as silver besants. The common pence-and-sou moneys circulating in the realms of Aragon were the Barcelona, Jaca, Valencia, and Melgueil coinages, the Melgueil or Melgorian prevailing at Catalan Montpellier.

This is a very interesting book, and Mr Burns was clearly right to become an archive snuffler rather than a shopkeeper:

How did these various moneys interrelate in value? King Jaume the Conqueror issued an official exchange rate in 1247 on the occasion of minting his first Valencian money (reials). A Valencian sou, or 12 pence, was worth 1½ Barcelona sous, or 18 pence.

Oh dear. If the penny is interchangeable, and if V = 12 and V = 1.5 * B, then B = 8, not 18. I’ve turned some more of Mr Burns’ data in the form of a calculator, for the purposes of which I have made two assumptions:

  1. That he has got the penny conversions wrong, not the rest.
  2. That when he uses the word sou, he is referring to the most recent instance of qualified use in his text.

Here it is. Enter a number in one of the cells and then hit the go button:

currency kind
Silver mark Simple knight (as little as)
Valencian sou Ecclesiastical benefice
Barcelona sou Ransom common esquire from Moors
Jaca sueldo aka Aragon sou Artisan’s wage (high)
Melgueil 15-man castle garrison (1276) pa
Tours sou Unskilled worker (1266) pa
Josephine mazmodin House rental, Perpignan, high pa
Pseudo-Josephine mazmodin House rental, Perpignan, low pa
Alfonsine morabatin Median price, slave
Almoravid morabatin Median price, ass
Silver besant Median price, horse
     

Trevor @ 31 May 2004 8:27 AM

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Early Middle, Of the marketplace

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Comments

  1. Geoff
    10:50 AM on 31 May 2004

    Factor 62 between low and high house rents is a lot, and two slaves = 1 horse, phew

  2. Mikel
    2:20 PM on 31 May 2004

    I don’t see where Burns’s conversion is wrong. If one Valencian sou is worth 1 and a half Barcelona sous, then 12 Valencia pence are worth 18 Barcelona pence. ¿O no?

  3. Trevor
    8:24 PM on 31 May 2004

    You’re completely right. Holiday head, I’m afraid. Sorry Mr Burns!

  4. MM
    11:21 PM on 31 May 2004

    There’s that old saying, that if you look after the pseudo-Josephine mazmodins, the Almoravid morabatins will look after themselves.

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