Byzantine Hyperpyron

Type Object Region Byzantine Time c. 1092–1350

The high-purity gold hyperpyron, introduced by the Byzantine Empire from the late eleventh century, replaced older solidi to meet fiscal crisis and s…

Timeline

c. 1191–1195Constantinople · ByzantineIn the early 1190s the imperial mint continued to strike hyperpyra of over about 20.5 carats gold, bearing the image of Christ crowning the emperor, used to pay court salaries, mercenaries, and diplomatic gifts; despite fiscal difficulties, the hyperpyron maintained its high-credibility gold-standard position in the eastern Mediterranean.
c. 1196–1200Venice · ItalyIn the late 1190s the hyperpyron circulated through Venetian and Genoese trade routes to Western Europe and the Levant, forming cross-currency settlements with Ayyubid dinars and French deniers; imperial finances were already showing signs of deterioration around 1200, yet the hyperpyron remained the most trusted high-denomination gold coin of the eastern Mediterranean on the eve of the Fourth Crusade.

Sources

Grierson, Philip. Byzantine Coinage — Philip Grierson (1982)
Hendy, Michael F. Studies in the Byzantine Monetary Economy c. 300–1450 — Michael F. Hendy (1985)