MINTS
. The control of mints was in theory a royal prerogative in medieval France, but the early-
medieval kings gradually lost control of the monopoly of minting. The Edict of Pîtres of
Charles the Bald in 864 represents a last attempt to enforce royal control over minting;
thereafter, bishops, abbots, dukes, and counts minted their own coinage. In spite of efforts
by such kings as Louis IX and Philip IV, there remained between thirty and forty baronial
silver coinages in medieval France in the early 14th century. Some, such as the Melgorian
coinage of lower Languedoc, enjoyed wide regional circulation and considerable stability
of precious-metal content over many centuries. By 1300, the royal Tournois and Parisis
coinages were nonetheless the dominant systems of exchange in the kingdom.
Mints, whether baronial or royal, suffered the vicissi tudes of fluctuating precious-
metal supplies and changing royal and baronial politics, which led frequently to the
debasement of coinage. Gold and silver coin were minted under the Merovingians; a
monometallic silver standard persisted from the Carolingian period until the reintro
duction of gold coinage in the 13th century again created a bimetallic royal monetary
system.
Coinage profits were generated on several levels. Some precious metal was
accumulated at the mint in the discards of the refinement process. The political authority
in charge of the mint received a percentage of the coins struck, perhaps one of each
twelve deniers, as seigniorage. The costs of processing were generally deducted from the
precious-metal stocks at acquisition.
By the 14th century, mints had a complex administrative hierarchy and trained
technical personnel. Mintmasters, guardians, and officers were charged with supervisory
responsibilities; moneyers and workers designed and minted the actual coins. Once the
precious metal had been sufficiently purified, according to the standard of fineness in use,
minting was divided into two technological processes: the creation of dies or molds and
the striking of coins. A Chambre des Monnaies was created by ordinance in 1348 as an
advisory group to the Chambre des Comptes or the king’s council for royal coinage.
Kathryn L.Reyerson
[See also: CURRENCY]
Castaing-Sicard, Mireille. Monnaies féodales et circulation monétaire en Languedoc (Xe-XIIIe
siècles). Toulouse: Association Marc Bloch, 1961.
Fournial, Étienne. Histoire monétaire de l’Occident médiéval. Paris: Nathan, 1970.
Spufford, Peter, and N.J.Mayhew, eds. Late Medieval Mints: Organization, Administration and
Techniques. Oxford: B.A.R. International Series, 1988.
MIRACLE PLAYS
. Miracle plays are dramatizations of two types of religious narrative material: miraculous
events performed by the Virgin Mary in response to requests from a believer in difficulty,
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