When I publish a blog entry, I look back and take a final look at the topic I published. In this case, Sancho Iturbide and his carlins When I talked about it, I felt sorry that I had left out Bernart Lonjuhac.
I stopped to look at the second manuscript sent by the Royal Archives of Navarre, which shows us the agreement between Bernart and the royal court. This one had even more complicated writing. Another great challenge.
At the same time, I found new information on the Internet. In his 1998 work “Moneda de necesidad acuñada en Navarra durante la guerra con Castilla (1429-1431)”, the master Ibañez Artica transcribed the sixth law of Sancho Iturbid. I was happy to confirm that my reading, although it had a couple of errors, was generally correct. However, Ibañez Artica's work did not include a transcription of the agreement of Bernart Lonjuhac. This document is kept in the General Archive of Navarre, in box 132, section one, document IV, and consists of two pages.
I owed Bernart that much.
Las cosas de suso scrita there seydo concordadas ent los muy altos excellentes señores de señor Rey and la señora reyna de Navarra dunapart y Bernart Lonjuhac maestro de moneda dla otra.
Here too, I do not fully decipher the meaning of some words, or at least I am not entirely sure. In the following, these words will appear in red. In the meantime, I have learned that the transcription of this document can be found in Florencio Idoate's book “Catálogo del Archivo General de Navarra: Sección de Comptos: Documentos. XL Tomo”. One day, I will have the opportunity to correct my reading of the document in a library. In the meantime, here is my tribute to Bernart Lonjuhac:
Pordian It has been agreed that the King and Queen will order and confirm as masters of the mint that they will join in the Ciudad de Pamploa and meet at the mint on Rua Mayor al dco Bernart. Et por quanto we are assepstamos el dco Bernart no podra bat that for the whole month of February promo The gentlemen do it. Liura en dca casa dla moneda y lo ordenan maestro de aquella et del dco dia adelant el bata y sea maestro dla dca house of moneda q los dos señores deprnt encardan de faz bat.
The kings appointed Bernart as the head of the mint located in the main street of the town of San Cernín on January 10, 1432, the same day as Sancho Iturbide's appointment. Bernart was probably a foreigner and was not in the kingdom at the time, so they accepted that he would not be able to strike any coins until February.
The Navarrese kings often used minters brought from outside the Pyrenees, often from the city of Morlaas in Bearn, Aquitaine or Occitanie. As we can see, at least two mints were operating in Pamplona during the year 1432, one on the main street and the other in the royal tower. We do not have the exact location of this mint on the main street.
Courtesy of the Royal General Archive of Navarre – AGN, CO DOCS.,Caj. 132, n.1.4 first page
Ytan es concordado quelos dcos senyores Rey y Reyna fagan librar aldco Bernart todos los parotroaytes y ostiellas to work on the money, those who are in the power of Miguel de Rosas guard the house of the money, what Migel has and they will fail for him Mentauro. Delos quales ptroayts y ostiellas se serva eldco Bernart, urgent work and be maestro in la dca casa dla moneda. Et bet sea tiny Rent Aldco Miguel de Rosas.
Ytan los dcos señores daran guarda, contraguarda and assayor y entallador en ladca casa dla moneda, los quales los dcos BzJ sean tenydos delos pagar.
In this passage, the name of Miguel de Rosas appears for the first time. Miguel was an important figure during the reign of Queen Blanca, inspector of the chamber of accounts and guarda or guardian of the mints. Thanks to the accounts left by Miguel, Juan Carrasco Perez, professor at the UPNA, has left us several interesting facts in his works.
Bernart had to use the tools left by Miguel and the “Parotroyate” (the meaning of this word may be a collection of coinage dies and stacks) to be able to begin the coinage work as quickly as possible.
As can be seen, the custodian or guard of the mint, his representative or assistant, the assayer who tested the legitimacy of the silver, and the engraver who was responsible for the production of dies and coins, were appointed and paid by the royal courts (i.e. B and J, Blanka and Joan).
In the coinage corresponding to this sixth law, the engraver and engraver Luis de Catania worked alongside the mintmaster Miguel de Rosas. Miguel's salary was 300 livres per year (25 livres per month) and Luis's was 180 livres per year (15 livres per month).
Ytan es concordado that for the month of February, Bernard will be with him to pretend in the oddity of Pampl. guarded by Miguel de Rosas I have already done it. father to work and to catch carga dla dca moneda con aquellos pots and vases q aura necessario pa la dca work.
Bernart was supposed to appear in the city of Pamplona by the beginning of February, before the guard Miguel de Rosas, ready to take charge of the mint in the main street and to strike Navarrese coins thanks to the tools and patterns provided by Miguel. As we will see later, we do not have the certainty that Bernart appeared in Pamplona; since the accounts presented from the beginning of June bear the name of the mintmaster Bernart de Beguinot. Unfortunately, we cannot say whether these two Bernarts are the same person. No coinage agreement is known with this Bernart of Beginat, but Bernart Lonjuhac, at least under that name, did not present any accounts.
Karlin of King Blanche and Queen Juan, minted under the protection of the Sixth Coinage Law – 2.87gr – Wide base of the crown
FIND: I:Z:B:DEI:GRA:REX:Z:RGA:NAVARRE
INFRENZU: YESN:NAME:DOMINI:BENEDICTVM (Here the engraver made a spelling error)
Ytan es concordado that el deco Bernart aya work both faithfully and diligently coin of silver that is of law de cinqno diners y dizeocho granos argent le Roy y deseys sueldos eight diners de talla yq the work sin remedios algunos and this coin will be nombr. Carlin. Et se tenydo de dar los mercaders or fornydores que troaieran plata o billon a la dca casa dla moneda, per each marco de plata de XII diners de ley argent le Roy qa ell se liurado fifteen libras dla dca moneda comptando lapieca por two sueldos. Er sera tenido de respondr eldco Bernart alos dcos Senyores o asugoarda de toda plata q workara o le seba liurada. Et assaber por el señoreaje dizeocho sueldos por marco dla dca plata coined et lo restant q saliera del dco marco de plata o sueldo de ley seva pal dco Bernart por su bacage y tales otros costages. Por los cuales bracages y tales otros costages eldco Bernard sea tenydo excepto al salario o gauge dla guarda, contraguarda, del assayador y entallador los quoales pagaran los dcos seres Rey y Reyna segunt dco es.
As is normal, the coinage conditions included in Bernart's agreement were the same as those included in Sancho Iturbid, both in terms of law, carving, and "seignorage", for example.
As we have said before, thanks to the accounts left by the guard Miguel de Rosas, and the summary included by the professor of the UPNA, Juan Carrasco Perez, in his work “Moneda y fiscalidad en el reignado de Blanca de Navarra: del monedaje a las “acuñaciones de guerra” (1428-1432)”, we can dare to give a number of coins minted by Sancho Iturbid in the royal tower and by Bernart Lonjuhac, or better said Bernart de Beguinat, in the main street.
The name of Bernat de Beguinat appears in the accounts of the Chamber of Accounts, in the payments of the “senyorage” or mint tax presented between June 6 and August 8. We do not know if this Bernart of Beguinat is the same as the Bernart Lonjuhac mentioned in the agreement, but if so, and if he started the mint in February, we can conclude that it did not produce profits until June. And it only produced profits for two months…a very short time.
The royal treasury of Sancho Iturbide, on the other hand, presented the coinage taxes between the end of January and the beginning of September, resulting in a production period of about eight months. As we will see in the accounts, the quantities of coins minted by Sancho were considerably greater than those of Bernart.
Another interesting fact: The accounts show that the minting taxes were paid in return for the production of carlins and cornados. This would confirm that there was no production of half carlins and half cornados.
Let's look at these things:
The coins minted by Sancho Iturbide in the royal tower house are said to have weighed as follows:
- Karlin: 2011 marks, one ounce and 10 pounds sterling
- Cornados: 988 marks and 7 ounces
- Total coinage taxes paid: 949 pounds 18 sous and 8 cents
As a result, 2011,177 coined carlin marks and 988,875 coined cornado marks were presented for tax purposes. Since each coined carlin mark had 80 pieces, 160.894 We can conclude that carlin coins were minted. And since each coined cornado mark contained 240 coins, 227.960 We can say that around 100,000 cornados were minted. If we look at the coinage taxes, carlins generated taxes of 867.19 pounds and cornados of 82.39 pounds. It was much more profitable for the royal court to mint carlins instead of cornados.
The accounts of the coins minted at the Bernart mint on the main street of the Beguinat are as follows:
- Combined weight of the carlin and horned horses: 386 marks and 7 ounces
- Coinage taxes collected from: 106 pounds 6 shillings 6 dirhams
In this case, we do not have the differentiated weight of each type of coin and the amount of taxes collected is general. But after making some quick calculations about the taxes collected, we can conclude that the weight of the carlin minted must have been around 215 marks and the weight of the cornado minted must have been around 171 marks.
As a result, Bernart 17.200 about a carlin grain and 41.250 We can conclude that he worked around 100,000 cornados. Of the taxes received, around 92 pounds came from carlins and 14 pounds from cornados.
After this sixth law and according to the accounts presented by Miguel de Rosas, around 20,000 livres were released among the Carlins and Cornados. Of these 20,000 livres, the royal court received more than 12,000 livres, the previously mentioned 1,055 livres for coinage taxes and another 11,296 livres in exchange for the silver delivered for coinage.
Gogoratu beharrekoa da, zilar marko bakoitzeko, 15 libratako ordaina jasotzen zuela zilarra libratzen zuenak. Ondorioz, txanpondutako zilarraren %60 baino gehiago, erregetxeak berak entregatu zuela ondorioztatu dezakegu eta gainontzeko %40a beste erakunde edo partikularrek libratutakoa izan zen. Gaur egunean ezin dugu irudikatu, bere zilarra besapean, edonor joan zitekeela txanponetxera eta zilar hau han libratu ondoren, egun batzuetara txanpon berriak jasotzen zituela ordainetan.
In exchange for silver delivered by other institutions or individuals, the royal court only received minting taxes. In exchange for silver delivered by the royal court itself, however, it received minting taxes as well as full payment for the same silver.
Courtesy of the Royal General Archive of Navarre – AGN, CO DOCS.,Caj. 132, n.1.4 Second page
Ytan es concordado q el dco Bernart pa el dco tpo sea tenido de segurado dencaminart and casafundar y que dará buen compto y fara buena Response of all the silver or billions that have been delivered to Ladca casa dla moneda and of all that have been given in charge. Et lo q to the work el dco Bernard asta q aya zado (advanced?) the dcos radores, the work by the hand of the architect Migel de Rosas guarda and lo tomara dell.
Ytan es concordado q eldco Bernart aya dobrar moneda menuda. Et assaber cornados pa fruto del pueblo y obrara aquela quantidat q ent lagoarda y ell sea concordado.
Cornado of King Blanche and Queen Juan, minted under the protection of the Sixth Coinage Law
FIND: I:Z:B:RE:Z:RGNA
FRANCE: NAVARRE
As this passage clearly shows, the small cornado coins were apparently minted for the common people, since the royal court preferred other coins of higher value, at least when possible. While Sancho Iturbid had a carlin/cornado coinage ratio of 1:1.41, Bernart had to suffer a ratio of 1:2.40 (y obrara aquela quantidat q ent lagoarda y ell sea concordado). Miguel probably didn't do him much favor here.
Ytan es concordado that el dco Bernart aya be ser maestro de la dca casa de la moneda deldco deldco month of february adlant adalant a complied year ayga Señora And the ladies and gentlemen, Rey and Reyna, promise that they will work with Bernart both of them and faithfully send the coin and obtain and fulfill all the written and agreed-upon things that he will have as a teacher in the house of the coin and no le to drink aquella dmas eldco tpo dun anyo por nyngun otro maestro.
The agreement between the royal court and Bernart was said to have lasted a year. According to accounts, Bernart had already given up by the beginning of August. Sancho Iturbide himself finished his coinage a month later, at the beginning of September. The coinage for the sixth law was not long, and this was the last that Queen Blanka would know.
All these things were agreed upon in the town of Taffalla on the 10th day of the month of January, the year of the birth of our Lord. Ihsu xsto aMCCCCXXXII.
I am the White Queen
Bibliography:
Currency of necessity minted in Navarre during the war with Castile (1429-1431) – Miguel Ibañez Artica – 1998 – link
Currency and taxation in the reign of Blanca of Navarre: from coinage to "war coins" (1428-1432) - Juan Carrasco Perez - 2003 - link
Maestros, officers and cashiers. Personal al servicio de las cecas Navarre (1349-1512) – ALBERDI AGUIRREBEÑA, Juan Ignacio – 2002 – link
General catalog of the currency of Navarre - Ricardo Ros Arrogante - 2013 - Altaffaylla publishing house
MEDIEVAL NAVARRA COIN – Numismatic Manual – Miguel Ibañez Artica – 2021
Coin of the Basque Country – Pablo María Beitia Arejolaleiba – 2018
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