livre tournois

The livre tournois (or Tournoise pound) was a currency used in France, named after the town of Tours, in which it was minted. It was initially used in the Tournois region and the west of France. During the time of Philip II of France its use started to spread until it became the national and international currency of France (although the livre parisis was not officially abolished until 1667 by Louis XIV). The currency system consisted of the livre ( or l), which was divided into 20 sous (s), each of which were divided into 12 deniers (d). These divisions were also adopted by the English for their Pound Sterling: sols became shillings and deniers became pence. The livre tournois was abolished during the French Revolution. It was replaced (on March 27, 1803) by a new currency officially called the franc, although the names livre and franc had started to be used interchangeably for the livre tournois after 1360 (from the inscription on a one-livre coin reading Johannes Dei Gratia Francorum Rex), franc became widely used during the 17th century. The livre tournois had also been used as the legal currency of the Channel Islands. It remained legal currency in Jersey until 1837 when dwindling supplies of no-longer minted livres tournois obliged the adoption of the pound sterling as legal tender.

Livre Tournois

See also