Marengo (coin)
Marengo (Pl. Marenghi ) was the slang term for a golden 20 franc piece that was issued in 1800 and 1801 by the short-lived Subalpine Republic (Piedmont), which was dependent on France .
According to the French coinage law, 155 pieces were knocked out of 1000 grams , so that one piece weighed 6 14/31 grams (6.4516 grams). A tenth of copper was added , i.e. 13.427 As . The gold content was 120.843 As in the piece.
The coin has about 23 millimeters in diameter and shows the obverse an Minerva -Büste, including the capital letters AL of Turin Medailleurs Amedeo Lavy. The legend L'ITALIE DÉLIVRÉE Â MARENGO ('Italy liberated at Marengo') refers to the battle of Marengo , which Napoleon Bonaparte won against the Habsburg monarchy . On the reverse , the year of issue L'AN 9 or L'AN 10 according to the French revolutionary calendar is in a wreath. In the middle of the inscription are the words LIBERTÉ ÉGALITÉ ERIDANIA and the two-line face value 20 FRANCS. In addition to part of the slogan of the French Revolution (Liberté, Égalité), the legend also contains the country name Eridania , derived from Eridanus , the ancient name of the northern Italian river Po .
When Piedmont was completely annexed by France in 1802, the minting of the coin was stopped. It was the first Italian coin to follow the decimal system.
National characteristics
In Italian-speaking countries, the name was later also used for other French 20-franc coins (for example Napoléon d'or ) , as well as for the 20-franc and 20-lire gold coins of Belgium, Italy and Switzerland, which were minted in accordance with the French coin system used ( Latin coin union ). For example, the Swiss 20-franc gold vreneli in the canton of Ticino is still called Marengo today.
literature
- Johann Michael Leuchs: Complete, scientifically edited arithmetic book for the higher classes, especially for the trading stand. Volume 1, Verlag des Kontors der Allg. Handlungs-Zeitung, Nuremberg 1821, p. 165, digitized
Individual evidence
- ^ Johann Friedrich Krüger : Complete manual of the coins, measures and weights of all countries in the world. Gottfried Basse, Quedlinburg and Leipzig 1830, p. 175.
- ↑ Background: Eridania on numispedia.de
- ↑ Subalpine Republic, 20 Franc (Marengo) year 10 (1800–1801) ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on moneymuseum.com (With photos of the coin)
- ^ Benedikt Zäch: Napoléon (coin). In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
- ↑ Why does the Ticino refer to the Goldvreneli as Marengo? on Swissmint (PDF 241kb)
