Research on the monetary usage in the Western early Middle Ages

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

1. During the last 25 years, European scholars have accumulated, mainly thanks to the development of numismatics, a wide range of knowledges on the monetary history of the early Middle Ages.2. The mentions of money payment in the written records are dispersed and often limited to an indication of the paid sum, so that it is very difficult to use them on the basis of an individual research.3. European scholars come to evaluate favorably the historical significance of the silver mono-metallism with penny coins. This stream bases itself on the following newly verified facts. (1)The silver mono-metallism comprised also the 8th century. (2)Since early dates, the influence of penny coins was strong also in England, Frisia, Italia etc. (3)The number of coined and circulated pence was enormous. (4)The penny coin functioned also as means of treasure. (5)Holders of the right of coinage used efficiently their monetary prerogative. (6)Their monetary policy made possible a simultaneous circulation of various pence with different silver contents. (7)The use of substitutes for money was limited.4. Details of money usage in the everyday life of the populace are not yet clarified even with the rich results obtained by European researchers.5. Although the pence are silver coins with an intrinsic value, they were easily subject to the maniputation by the holders of right of coinage. In this sense, the monetary theory underlining the state power in monetary matters is also valid in the monetary history of the early Middle Ages.6. The penny functioned as a all-purposed money. It is dangerous to apply the concepts of the money formulated by economic anthropologists directly to the monetary history of the Western early Middle Ages.7. Traditional general descriptions of economic history and money history underestimate the silver monometallism in the Western early Middle Ages.