During the Hundred Years War financial transactions might be conducted in money of account (a conventional measure of value) or money of payment (i.e. the coins in which payment was actually made).
In England the mark was a unit of account worth two-thirds of a pound (13s. 4d.). The main coins in circulation were made of gold silver or billon (silver-copper alloy). They included the silver penny (‘d.’), the shilling (‘s.’, worth 12d.), and the pound (‘£’, worth 20s. or 240d.). In 1344 the gold noble was introduced, valued at 6s. 8d.
The French unit of account, the livre (l), was worth 20 sous (s), each with the value of 12 deniers (d). The value of the livre depended on its place of origin (Tours, Bordeaux or Paris) and on levels of devaluation. The sum of £1 sterling was usually valued as: 5–6livres tournois (l.t.); 5–6 livres bordelais (l.b.); 4–5 livres parisis (l.p.).
The main coins in circulation in France were the silver gros (worth 1 sou parisis) and the gold franc (franc d’or) (worth 1 l.t.), which was gradually replaced by the écu d’or (there were approximately 9 écus d’or to the £). The English administration in northern France in the fifteenth century also minted the salut d’or, which had a similar value. The French mouton, worth 4s. 10d., was first produced in 1355.
The Castilian unit of account was the maravedi (comprising 10 pennies/dineros). The sum of £1 sterling was worth about 230 maravedis. The main Castilian coins in circulation were the real and the gold doblas (worth about 4s.).
The other major coin in circulation in Europe was the gold florin of Florence (worth about 4s. sterling).
The French spelling of personal names has been retained unless they are particularly familiar in their English form, for example, Joan of Arc and Margaret of Anjou.
1 France in the later Middle Ages.
2 Military campaigns, 1337–60.
3 Military campaigns, 1360–80.
4 Military campaigns, 1415–20.
5 France: territorial control during the Hundred Years War.