Money

In order to demonstrate the value of fourteenth-century sums, I have on occasion used a currency converter, courtesy of the National Archives. This has helped to draw comparisons, though of course any present-day equivalents are open to debate.

I have tried to keep references to currency simple, using pounds where possible. In the fourteenth century, coinage was valued in pounds, shillings and pence. In the case of the Peasants’ Revolt, I refer to groats. One groat equates to a value of four pence.

The only reference to French money is the écu, in regard to the King of France, John II’s, ransom. The word écu means ‘shield’ and the coins are decorated with a series of shields. It is the oldest French gold coin and an abbreviation for the predecessor of the euro (European Currency Unit). From the fourteenth to the seventeenty century, the écu was the most important European gold coin.