Századok – 2015
2015 / 4. szám - MŰHELY - Gyöngyössy Márton: Szapolyai János pénzverése (1527-1540)
SZAPOLYAI JÁNOS PÉNZVERÉSE (1527-1540) 973 Due to the state of monetary circulation and the decomposition of coinage, Szapolyai failed to issue small-value coins for several years. Trust in Hungarian coins was considerably undermined by minting by both kings of Hungary, and even more by counterfeiting which became endemic. All this dealt a severe blow to the main agent of everyday monetary affairs, the Hungarian denarius. Although the monetary integrity of the country was maintained throughout the reign of King János, the gradual expansion of foreign (Southern German, Austrian and Czech) small currencies was a ubiquitous phenomenon. The crisis of financial administration and coinage was clearly felt in the court of Szapolyai, which probably led to experimenting with the services of foreign experts (Friedrich Schmalz, Georg Weinmeister) and with the exploitation of new mining possibilities. Although Szapolyai himself was prevented by his death from enjoying the results of these efforts, he did lay the foundations on which his successors were later able to renovate coinage in both Hungary and Transylvania.
