Florentine Gold Florin

Timeline

1. 1252–1300Florence mint · TuscanyThe Republic of Florence introduced the gold florin around the feast of St. John, winning merchant trust with stable fineness and uniform weight, and it became a pillar of city-state finances and foreign trade.
2. 1421–1430Mediterranean trade network · MediterraneanIn the 1420s the florin remained Europe's most widely accepted trade gold coin; Florentine bankers used it to settle international bills of exchange, supporting long-distance trade in wool, spices, and silk.
3. 1500–1600Europe · EuropeWith the rise of the Venetian ducat, Spanish gold coins, and the expansion of silver standards, the florin's exclusive position in international settlement weakened, but it continued as a local and commemorative Florentine coinage.