Category Archives: Coins and Jewels

During the Middle Ages, many European rulers rewarded faithful followers not with direct payments of cash or land, but with a royal charter—permission—to take up some sort of regulated business. This way, the monarch didn’t need to pay directly. Instead, … Continue reading →

Medieval coins were stamped by a round, carved die, but they were defined in value by weight. This meant that sometimes a coin’s stamped round part was not sufficient to make up its value, so the coin had to include … Continue reading →

The story of Europe’s medieval period is really the narrative of how a heavily forested, cold place gradually caught up with the habits and inventions of the Mediterranean cultures, and at last began to pass them. All but the fringes … Continue reading →

I thought I’d start a new short series on medieval coins and jewels. The previous series about containers closed with locked chests and purses, which led me to think about what might go inside them.