Donapaleuko Txanponetxe Zaharraren Txanponketa Kontuak

In the previous section, Paulo Girardi sent the reformer Guillaume le Soterel currency report In that introduction, we presented the impact of this report on the coins minted at the beginning of the reign of Charles II.

Charles II was crowned on June 27, 1350, in the cathedral of Pamplona. Shortly thereafter, in November, the courts of Estella approved a minting tax with the aim of minting a new Navarrese currency. This new Navarrese currency would be based on the Carlin money and was intended to replace and renew the Tournai and other coins brought from France during previous reigns. Finally, after the sanxetaries of the 12th and 13th centuries, Navarre had a new monetary unit.

From 1351 onwards, Carlin money was mentioned in the kingdom's accounts and at the same time, the first penalties were imposed on those who made payments in other currencies.

In 1352, the use of all foreign coins was prohibited, “so that no one dared to buy or use other coins under the penalties contained in the ordinances, but only those of our Lord.” The expansion of the new monetary system took the necessary steps outlined by Paulo Girardi in his report.

Experts tell us that the first minting of these new coins was carried out in Pamplona and Dona Paula. At the same time, there were reportedly minters in Lizard. At least in Dona Paula, the minting of these coins is completely guaranteed, as several documents clearly confirm it.

But in which house in Donapaleu were these coins minted? Was the mint that opened in 1579 at the current location of “Rue de la Monnaie 2” the same one that minted the Carlin coins? Let us look at the statement in an early document:

AGN, accounts, Box 11, Number 102, notebook of 49 pages: "Receipt of the money received by Peyrot de Garriz to pay the expense in advance because of the money that the king ordered to be made in his land of Aquient Puertos es a saber in the villa of Sen Pelay. Suma la recepta 796 lib. 18 sec. 8 days Expenditure on the repair of the house called Anguelua of the said currency for doing masonry.”

The minting of the Carlin coins, or other silver and gold coins, that were minted in Donapeleu during the reign of Charles II was said to have taken place at the mint called Angleua Etxea. So, where was Angleua located and does it retain that name today?

I started looking for the house called Angleua in what is now Donapaleu; I couldn't find any trace of it. In cases like this, it's best to ask the locals. After some research, I found a place that promotes the use of Basque in the Amikuze region. Open associationI contacted them. Did they know about the Angleua house from around the 14th century and what its location was?

The secretary of the association responded politely, saying he had spread my question among the members, to see if anyone had any clues. After a couple of days, Jean Claude Mailharin The gentleman wrote to me, who had the remains of the house of Angleua. My deepest thanks for these words.

Here are the instructions on Jean Claude:

A map of a city Description automatically generated

Location of the noble house Angleu on the 1826 plan

The Angleua house was located on the floor at the beginning of what is now Rue Arnaud d'Oyhenart, opposite the Church of Saint Paul.

Location of the Angleua noble house on a current Google map photo

Over the years and centuries, the building structure of this floor has been completely transformed and as a result, today we have no trace of the 14th century mint building.

A street sign on the corner of a building Description automatically generated

The first floor of the old Angleua house, a modern-day view of 1 Rue Arnaud d'Oyhenart

On the other hand, what is clear is that the locations of the mints in Donapaleu in the 14th and 16th-17th centuries were different from each other. The Angleua mint did not have the same location as the mint that was later created during the modern era; Consequently, we can say that Donapaleu has had at least two different mints throughout its history.

From the beginning of January 1352, the accounts of the Kingdom of Navarre record the costs of renovating and transforming the Angelua mint in Donapaleu. They also record the expenses incurred for the maintenance of the court officials who traveled to Donapaleu. These officials traveled to Donapaleu with the aim of inspecting the work of the new mint, and among them was an old acquaintance, Guillaume le Soterel.

Likewise, we have much more information about the coins minted at this mint of the Angelua family than we have on record; for the first time in Navarre coinage, the Angelua mint of Donapaleu has the honor of having created the first Navarrese coinage accounts that have survived to this day.

These coinage accounts are kept in Box 184 of the General Archive of Navarre, in a single-page document numbered 15. After requesting a copy of the document from the archive (thanks again!), I began to examine its contents.

Here is the document of the minting accounts of the Angelua mint of Donapaleu. As we will see, this document summarizes the number, characteristics and taxes of coins minted between October 10, 1352 and June 22, 1353:

Document of the minting accounts of the Angleua mint in Donapaleuco

AGN – General Archive of Navarre, Box 184, Number 15°

These accounts are written in Old French, like Girardi's report. I am not an expert in medieval epigraphy and my reading is probably somewhat flawed; however, after reading the various readings that have been made of these accounts, it seems to me that some errors have been made and I will try to explain them in the following pages. Let us begin by looking at the first column:

C'est le compte de l'ouvrage de la Monnaie de Saint Pelay de deniers carolins que ou cours pour I denier tours la piece et a II diners VI grains de ley argent le Roy et de XX sous de taille au Marc de Paris. Fierce en Achat par Barogne Islava de Lugna depuis le Xe Jour d'Octobre l'any 52 fings ou XXIIe Jour de Junion l'any 53.

Entele condition q al amon – pour ouvrage et monnoyage et pour touz autaz cousterons pour chascun Marc de ouvra de diners carolins XVIII diners. Et estant ames en Boete de chascun X livres carolins I dinner carolin. Et anen en Boete LXVI sous XI diners carolins que son 8030 livres. Et antant de Marcs que sont de argent le roy au du marc 1505 marcs 5 ounces of silver bought au preis de 4 livres 9 sous le Marc.

This first episode reported the minting of new Carlin coins. These Carlin coins were said to have the same value as a Tours coin, where the silver legal tender was two dirhams and 6 grains (187.5 thousandths) and for each Paris mint mark (a Paris or Troyes mark weighed 244.75 grams) 240 coins, or 20 sueldos (where each sueldo contains twelve dirhams, 20 x 12 = 240 coins), were minted. This leads us to conclude that each piece of Carlin coins had a nominal weight of 1.019 grams.

A huge number of carlino coins were minted during these times and in some cases they had different weights and silver contents, but we can say that these carlino coins minted in Donapaleu looked like the following:

Appearance of the Carlin coins minted in 1352 and 1353 at the Donapaleu mint – 1.00 gr 17mm – 2 dinars and 6 grains of silver (187.5 thousandths) – theoretical mintage of 20 sueldos (1.019gr)

Found: KAROLVS:REX

Ifrenzu: DE NAVARRA

Monnaies d'Antan N°12 Lot 777 22.11.2012

And if we compare these specimens with the earlier specimens imported from the Kingdom of France, we will see that they were a complete mirror of them.

Tournai coin minted in the name of Philip IV of France and I Capet of Navarre (1284-1314) – 0.86 gr, 17.9mm diameter – 3 duras and 14 grains of silver (299 thousandths)

Found: PHILIPPVS.REX

Ifrenzu: TVRONVS.CIVIS

INUMIS, MAIL BID SALE 27, LOT 2056 14.10.2014

As mentioned, these minting accounts tell us about the number and characteristics of coins minted between October 10, 1352, and June 22, 1353. The head of the mint, Baron Islava de Lugna It was said to be. This name, I have found for the first time, will need further research.

The costs incurred by each mark of minting were said to have been 18 Carlini drachmas, or a half-suede. And then, there is information about the so-called “Diners de Boete”. All readings fail to mention the purpose or purpose of these coins, since these coins were not royal profits, but samples used by the assayers and mint guards to control the quality of the coins. Since these samples were kept in small boxes (in French, Boete), they were called “Diners de Boete”. Here, we find another instance of these coin samples, during the reign of Louis II. We looked at the production issues there.

When it comes to expressing the number of these samples, the accounts tell us that one sample of coins was taken for every ten pounds of carlin money, and therefore 66 sueldos and 11 dirhos were rejected in the samples, since a total of 8,030 pounds of carlin money were minted. From the above, we can deduce the number of coins minted; since each pound was worth 240 carlin money (20 sueldos), we can conclude that 8030 x 240 = 1,927,200 carlin money coins were minted. Similarly, if one coin for every ten pounds was rejected as a sample, we can conclude that the number of coins rejected was 803 coins. If we convert this number of coins to sueldos and dirhos (one sueldo = 12 dirhos), it will give us exactly 66 sueldos and 11 dirhos. For the moment, the accounts are accurate.

Finally, we are told that the amount of silver used to mint the Carlino coins was 1505 marks and 5 ounces, where each mark was purchased at a price of 4 pounds and 9 shillings. Since 20 shillings were obtained for each minted mark, that is, 240 coins, from this we can also conclude that (1,927,200 / 240 = 8030) 8030 minted marks were minted. And taking into account that each minted mark had a silver content of 187.5 thousandths, we can conclude that 8030 x 0.1875 = 1505.625, that is, 1505 marks and 5 ounces of silver were used, as the minting accounts specifically state.

We will discuss the price of 4 pounds and 9 sous paid for each pure silver mark later. Let us look at the following short passage, which explains the profit due to the king in the form of a seigniorage tax for the minting of coins.

Rent pour le monnorage des 1505 Marcs 5 onces d'argent a 17 sous 4 diners pour a Marc, 1304 livres 6 sous 8 diners.

For each pure silver mark, 17 sueldos and 4 carlinos (a total of 208 carlinos) were said to have belonged to the king as seigniorage; consequently, 1505 pounds and 5 ounces of silver would have contributed 313,170 carlinos to the royal household, a contribution of 1304 pounds 17 sueldos and 6 carlinos. Here, for the first time, the accounts are not entirely precise, as 1304 pounds 6 sueldos and 8 carlinos are mentioned, but in any case the error is negligible, about half a pound.

Let's look at the following passage from the document:

Fam fift le dit Barogne enreli temps deniers blancs appellez gros tornes que ont cours pour 12 diners carolins la piece et a 7 diners de ley argent le roy et de 5 sous 4 diners de talle au marc de Paris. Et estant imo en boete a 50 livres groses 1 diner de gros que sont 5 gros que sont 20 livres 16 sous 8 diners de gros. Et sont 78 marcs 7 ounces deuse que pour d'argent le roy au dit mioux 46 marcs 4 ounces et 2 diners (or sterlins) achate argent au preu de 4 livres 12 sous pour marc.

At the same time and under the same baron's orders, "white coins" were minted, known as gros Tournai; which were said to have a value of 12 carlins, a silver content of 7 carlins (583.33 thousandths of a silver standard today) and 64 gros grains were minted for each mark of the Paris mint. According to this number, the nominal weight of each grain was 244.75 / 64 = 3.8242 grams.

For every 50 pounds worked (50 pounds, each pound was worth 20 sous and each of these gros was worth one sous -> 50 x 20 = 1000 gros pieces), one piece was taken as a sample, “diners de boete”. Consequently, five gros were taken as a sample, since a total of 5000 pieces were worked; if we add 20 pounds, 16 sous and 8 gros (20×240 + 16×12 + 8 = 4800 + 192 + 8 = 5000), that is the number we get. In this case, these pounds, sous and money do not have the meaning of monetary value, but of the number of coins. If we look at the monetary value, we can say that 5000 gros pieces had a monetary value of 250 pounds. Let us remember that in the case of the Carlin coins, a monetary value of 8030 livres was minted, that is, in small coins, 32 times the value was minted in large coins.

How many fine silver and gold were used in this production? Since we know that 5000 pieces were produced, and that 64 pieces were produced per piece, we can calculate it ourselves. 5000 / 64 = 78,125, which is 78 fine silver and one ounce. The production accounts show 78 marks and 7 ounces, which is slightly more than the number we calculated. Similarly, if we calculate the amount of silver used in these 78 marks and 7 ounces of fine silver, we should have 78,125 x 7/12 = 45.5729, 45 marks 4 ounces and 14 dirhams. However, the accounts report 46 marks 4 ounces and 2 dirhams. It is possible that my reading of the number of marks is incorrect; or it is also possible that the gros carlinos received a little more silver than they should have.

Based on their similarity to the French Gros Tournai, researchers have concluded that the Gros Carlins cultivated in Donapaleu during this period were of the following type:

Silver Navarrese grosas minted in 1352 and 1353 at the Donapaleu mint?? – 3.37gr – 7 silver dinars (583 thousandths) – Theoretical mintage of 5 sueldos and 4 dinars (244.75/64= 3.8242 gr) – Twelve carlino dinars

Found: BENEDICTV:SIT:NOME:DNI:NRI:DEI:I Inside KAROLVS:REX

Ifrentzua:DE NAVARRA

AUREO & CALICÓ SL, AUCTION 256, LOS 1694 03.12.2013

In this case too, we can see that they were a complete mirror image of the coins from previous reigns introduced from the Kingdom of France. On the obverse, the coins have a religious pictorial text., Benedictum Sit Nomen Domini Nostri Dei Iesus corresponding to the psalm. On the inside, the name of King Charles, Charles Rex. Ifrentzuan is the name of the kingdom of Navarre, of Navarre.

Tournai gros minted in the name of Philip IV of France and I Capet of Navarre (1284-1314) – 4.06 gr, 25mm diameter – 11 drachmas and 12 grains of silver content (958 thousandths) – value in 12 Tournai drachmas

Search: BNDICTV: SIT: NAME: DNI: NRI: DEI: IHV. XPI. Inside: PHILIPPVS•REX

Ifrenzu: TVRONVS.CIVIS

INUMIS, MAIL BID SALE 12, LOT 407 22.10.2010

On the obverse of the French coins, there were 12 fleur-de-lis, representing the original value of the 12 Tournai gros. On the Navarrese gros carlinos, these fleur-de-lis were replaced by the carbuncles of the Navarrese coat of arms. However, those who were expecting the appearance of the twelve carbuncles may notice that one of them was replaced by a star enclosed in a circle. Some experts say that the appearance of this star was somehow connected to the city of Estella. Alas, in any case, we can say that these eleven carbuncles represent the first appearance of our coat of arms in the history of Navarrese coinage. The carbuncle was already known on the royal jetons, but this is the first time on the coins of the kingdom!

Silver Navarrese grosz minted in 1352 and 1353 at the Donapaleu mint – 3.37gr

The red circle indicates the location of the star, surrounded by eleven Navarrese carbuncles.

Found: BENEDICTV:SIT:NOME:DNI:NRI:DEI:I Inside KAROLVS:REX

Ifrentzua:DE NAVARRA

AUREO & CALICÓ SL, AUCTION 256, LOS 1694 03.12.2013

Some of these large specimens present another peculiarity. On the obverse, a crescent moon appears between the letters A and V, and on the reverse, between the letters R and E. The meaning of this feature is unknown, but for some it could be a sign of a mint or a mint house.

Silver Navarrese grosz minted in 1352 and 1353 at the Donapaleu mint – 3.57gr

The red circles indicate the location of the star and crescent moons.

Found: BENEDICTV:SIT:NOME:DNI:NRI:DEI:I Inside KAROLVS:REX

Ifrentzua:DE NAVARRA

AUREO & CALICÓ SL, AUCTION 256, LOS 1695 03.12.2013

The following short passage explains the profit that accrued to the king in the form of seigniorage tax due to the cultivation of gros.

Rent pour le monnorage des 46 marcs 4 ounces et 2 diners (or sterlins) d'argent 17 sous 8 diners pour a marc 41 livres 5 sous 11 diners.

In this case, the king received 17 shillings and 8 dirhams for each pure silver mark as seigniorage, while in the case of the Carlin money it was 17 shillings and 4 dirhams. According to my calculations, about 41 pounds and 3 shillings belonged to the king, while the accounts show 41 pounds 5 shillings and 11 dirhams. The difference here, too, is not significant.

The following passage is quite interesting, as it gives an account of the expenses incurred during the minting of the coins. However, it is not easy to understand, as from this passage onwards the writing of the document gradually becomes smaller and more complicated:

Expenses for the turns of the hate

Parvens pour la boete des deniers carolins en quant amont 66 sous 11 diners

Et pour ouvreage et monmorage de chascun dels 8030 marcs de diners carolins au preu de XVIII diners pour bat marc 646 pounds.

Et pour la boete dels gros tours d'argent en quant amont 5 gros a 12 diners la peça bat 5 sous

Et pour ouvreage et monmorage de chascun dels 78 marcs 7 ounces deniers de gros a 3 sous 4 deniers pour a marc 13 livres 5 deniers.

Et li est dou pour lo monoage de 51 sous 8 deniers de gros bat 31 sous 8 deniers (sterling?)

Some 665 4 sous livres (sterling?)

The specimens wasted in the Carlin coins were 803 coins, as precisely counted in the previous accounts, 66 shillings and 11 dirhams. The minting costs, arising from the 8,030 mint marks minted (in theory 18 dirhams per mark), should have been 602 pounds and 5 shillings, but these accounts show 646 pounds; instead of 18 dirhams per mint mark minted, the minting costs were around 19.30 dirhams.

Then, the cost of the gros coins is calculated in 5 gros coins, that is, five sous, since each gros was worth 12 sous or one sous. And the cost of working the 78 marks and 7 ounces of gros coins (40 sous per mark, that is, 3 sous 4 sous) should have been 13 pounds 2 sous and 11 sous. However, the accounts show 13 pounds 5 sous, slightly less than expected.

The penultimate lines, tells us about another possible gross work, the amount is 51 sueldo y 8 dinars (51×12=612+8=620) or 620 grains. This should give us 9.68 working marks and if each working mark cost 40 dinars, we should have a cost of 32 sueldo y 3 dinars, slightly more than the 31 sueldo y 8 dinars shown in the accounts. The origin and trace of these additional gros is unknown, we only have this rare mention.

If you add up all these expenses, at least for me I get 664 pounds and 4 salaries., but the accounts reveal one more pound, That's 665 pounds and 4 salaries..

Let's continue with the next episode.

En la dit de monje que deu 6080 libres 8 sous 7 diners carolins emes. En las mones dels sres que fon au preu de 4 livres 9 sous 2 diners d'argent. Rem 2 marcs et 7 onces 1 (sterlins?)

This is also not easy to understand; I think that 6080 pounds 8 shillings and 7 shillings, after deducting all costs and seigniorage taxes, should be the amount of money available for the payment of the silver merchants. And after a couple of calculations, we can see that this was the case:

CASH INCOME	Quantity Processed (pounds)	Number of employees (salaries)	Amount Worked (money)	Money in Karlinos
Carlin Money	8030	0	0	1.927.200
Total Tickets	8030	0	0	1.927.200

EXPENSES	Lives	Salaries	Money	Money in Karlinos
Coinage Tax Carlin Money	1304	6	8	313.040
Sample Expenses (Diners de Boete)	0	66	11	803
Processing costs	646	0	0	155.040
Total Expenses	1953	13	7	468.883

SILVER PAYMENT REMAINDER	6076	6	5	1.458.317
Amount of Silver (Marks)	1505,625
Silver Mark Compensation	4	0	9	969

According to my calculations, the amount that should have been available for payment of silver marks was 6076 pounds 6 sous and 7 shillings, about the 6080 pounds shown in the accounts. But if this were the case, and considering that 1505,625 pure silver marks were used, the remuneration that the silver merchants could receive for each mark should have been 4 pounds 9 sous, considerably less than the 4 pounds 9 sous and 2 shillings shown in the accounts.

And we get a similar picture if we look at the mintage numbers of gros coins:

ENTRY	Quantity Processed (pounds)	Number of employees (salaries)	Amount Worked (money)	Money in Karlinos
Gros Carlins	250	0	0	60000
Total Tickets	250	0	0	60000
	Lives	Salaries	Money	Money in Karlinos
EXPENSES
Coinage Tax Carlin Money	41	5	11	9911
Sample Expenses (Diners de Boete)	0	5	0	60
Processing costs	13	0	5	3125
Total Expenses	54	11	4	13096

SILVER PAYMENT REMAINDER	195	9	8	46904
Amount of Silver (Marks)	46,583
Silver Mark Compensation	4	3	11	1007

In this case, the remuneration that the silver merchants would receive per mark would be around 4 pounds and 4 sous, well below the 4 pounds and 12 sous shown in the working accounts. In the case of both coins and grosz, I have seen a difference of around 9 sous between the remuneration shown in the accounts and my calculation.

The only way to arrive at the silver payment prices shown by the accounts would be to deduct the seigniorage tax from the minted coins, without taking into account the minting costs. This makes no sense, As Girardi clearly explained, since we can find out what was paid for the metal by deducting the seigniorage and the expenses of minting the coins. Perhaps the king was the owner of the silver supply and the accounts contained confusions between the silver payment and the seigniorage; however, this is not easily understood. This section requires further analysis, as we will see next.

I think the last lines of the text are talking about the minting of gold coins. Here too, it's not easy to guess. They talk about two types of gold coins, escudos and florins.

Et fiso le dit Barone en l'sely temps 459 escuts a XVI carats y que pesent 8 marcs 6 ounces 1 diners achat con pm al preu de 68 escuts. Mon li heu deuert del sehom. 97 shields...

The gold shield coins originated in the Kingdom of France and were named after the king's shield in his right hand. They began to be minted during the reign of Philip VI (1328-1350) and had a nominal weight of 4.532 grams. Although they initially had a gold content of 24 carats, they were reduced to 18 carats at the beginning of the reign of his son, John II, in 1351.

Gold Shield of France, minted after September 22, 1351, in the name of King John II (1350-1364) of France

Found: IOHANNES:DEI:GRA:FRANCORMV:REX

Hell: XPC:VINCIT:XPC:REGNAT:XPC:IMPERAT

ALDE, PUBLIC AUCTION MARCH 2018 (2), LOT 36 09.03.2018

As we have seen in the accounts, Charles II had his shields of Donapaleu minted in 16 carats and the number of pieces minted was 459. We know that in the following years Charles II minted more shields in his Normandy territories, but those of Donapaleu would be those that present the image text NAVARRA, as is the case with the billons and silver gros; while those of Normandy would be those that bear NAVARRE or NAVARVM.

Here are two alleged specimens of Donapaleu that I found:

Gold Shield of Navarre, probably minted in 1352 and 1353 at the Donapaleu mint – 4.31gr 27mm

Found: KAROLVS:DEI:GRA:NAVARRE:REX

Hell: XPC:VINCIT:XPC:REGNAT:XPC:IMPERAT

Specimen of the National Library of France (BNF)

Gold Shield of Navarre, probably minted in 1352 and 1353 at the Donapaleu mint – 4.52gr 27mm

Found: KAROLVS:DEI:GRA:NAVARRE:REX

Hell: XPC:VINCIT:XPC:REGNAT:XPC:IMPERAT

Issue from the Javier Bergua collection – Photo by Ricardo Ros – General Catalog of the Navarra Coin

If we divide the weight of the coin shown in the accounts (8 marks, 6 ounces and a penny) into 459 pieces, we get a nominal weight of 4.6684 grams for each piece, slightly higher than the value of the French pieces (4.532 gr). It is likely that the Navarrese pieces had the same nominal weight as the French ones. If we calculate the amount of gold contained in each piece, we get 4.532 gr x16/24 = 3.021 gr. We can also see that each gold mark was paid for with 68 gold pieces, that is, with a coined weight of 3.021 gr x 68 = 205.45 gr of gold. The king received 97 gold pieces as seigniorage.

Et fiso en agnel medre temps 1500 florins que serán a XX carats pesent 21 marcs 3 ounces 4 diners achate et on al preu de 76 florins. Mt. Sehom sleeps right. 135 florins a 2??

Other gold coins minted were the florins of Navarre. The florins originated in the Tuscan city of Florence, where they began to be minted around 1252. From then on, they enjoyed great success in medieval western Europe. They had a nominal weight of around 3.50 grams and, at least initially, had a gold content of 23 and 3/4 carats.

During the 14th century, several countries in Western Europe minted their own florins, including England, the French Dauphinate, Navarre, Bearn and Aragon. These florins from different countries retained the same designs as the original Florentine ones, with John the Baptist on one side and a lily flower on the other, with the name of the country and ruler of minting.

If we look at the mintage, we can say that 1500 Navarrese florins were minted in this issue, each of which had a gold content of 20 carats. If we divide the total weight of the florins (21 marks, 3 ounces and 4 dinars) by the number of pieces minted, we can obtain an average weight of these Navarrese florins, which is 3.4910 grams, similar to the weight of the original Florentine pieces.

If we calculate the amount of gold in each piece, it would give us 3.4910 gr x 20/24 = 2.9092gr grams, around the amount of gold in the shields, but slightly below. As we can see that each gold mark was paid for with 76 florins, this would give us a payment of 2.9092gr x 76 = 221.1 grams of gold.

This number would give us the gold content of the coins received in exchange for one unwrought gold mark; a slightly better return than the amount of gold received in the case of the shields, since in this case the king only acquired 135 coins as seigniorage.

These Navarrese florins should look like this:

Gold Florin of Navarre, minted in 1352 and 1353 at the Donapaleu mint?? – specimen from the Huntington Collection of the Hispanic Society of America – 3.43 gr 20mm