The very first money is ancient hryvnia or ancient hryvnia of Rus'. Hryvnia When did the hryvnia appear in Rus'?

hryvnia, Ukrainian hryvnia, Belor. Gryźnia, Polish grzywna, Czech. hřívna; from Praslav * griva) - monetary and weight unit of ancient Russian and neighboring lands in the 11th-15th centuries. It was used, in particular, to measure the weight of silver and gold (where its monetary equivalent came from). The gold hryvnia was 12.5 times more expensive than the silver one. The first weight unit mentioned in ancient Russian chronicles.

Story

The name comes from the name of the neck decoration “hryvnia”, often made of precious metals - gold or silver. Later, the meaning of the word was transformed and began to correspond to a certain amount (weight) of precious metal contained in a European mark. This is where the monetary unit came from "hryvnia of silver", first mentioned in the Charter of the Grand Duke Mstislav and his son Vsevolod to the Novgorod Yuriev Monastery (1130).

The hryvnia of silver was equivalent in quantity to a certain number of identical coins, hence their counting in pieces came from, and this monetary unit began to be called "hryvnia kun". Both hryvnias became payment and monetary concepts in Ancient Rus'.

Initially, the weight of a silver hryvnia and a kun hryvnia was the same, but kuns were made from low-grade silver and cost four times less than real silver ones. Later, there was a gradual change in the values ​​of hryvnia relative to each other, which was caused by the unstable weight of imported coins, as well as the evolution of the hryvnia as a unit of weight. So a hryvnia of silver began to be equal to several hryvnia kun; in the 12th century, a hryvnia of silver, which then weighed about 204 grams, was equal to the value of four hryvnia kun (one hryvnia kun weighed about 51 grams).

The hryvnia kun was equivalent to a certain number of circulating coins.

  • In the 11th century, 1 hryvnia kun = 20 nogatam = 25 kunam = 50 rezanam = 150 vereveritsa (vekshy)
  • in the 12th century, 1 hryvnia kun = 20 nogatam = 50 kun (and the kuna was halved)

Varieties and names

  • Coin hryvnia- a large “irredeemable” silver ingot. It was in circulation during the so-called “coinless period” of Ancient Rus' (XII, XIII and partly XIV centuries), when the minting of Old Russian coins (zlatnik, srebrenik) stopped and foreign coins began to come into circulation.
  • Kyiv hryvnia- a hexagonal hryvnia, which was in circulation in Southern Rus' since the 11th century and weighed about 163-165 grams.
  • Novgorod hryvnia- a long silver stick weighing about 204 grams. It was of greatest importance in monetary circulation. Initially it was widespread in the north-west of Rus', and from the middle of the 12th century it spread throughout the entire territory of Rus'.
  • Chernihiv hryvnia- a transitional form between the Kyiv and Novgorod hryvnias. In shape it was close to the Kyiv one, and in weight - to the Novgorod one.
  • Tatar hryvnia (sum)- a boat-shaped hryvnia, which was in circulation in the Volga region along with Tatar coins of the 14th century.
  • Lithuanian (Western Russian) ruble- stick-shaped silver ingots with one or several dents on the back, measuring 10-17 cm, weighing 100-105 g. In the sources they are called hryvnia, Izroy.
  • Lithuanian (Western Russian) trihedral ruble- stick-shaped triangular silver ingots weighing 170-189 g.

After the hryvnia ceased to circulate as a monetary unit, it remained as a weight unit - "kryvenka" or "rock hryvnia"(from “skalva” - scales) weighing 204.75 grams. The hryvnia was divided into 48 spools (4.26 grams), and the spool into 25 kidneys (0.17 grams). Also used as a measure of weight "big hryvnia"(or “whole weight hryvnia”) weighing 409.52 grams. This unit of weight was used until the 18th century, when it was replaced by the pound (1 pound = 1 large hryvnia = 2 hryvnia).

The hryvnia of Kievan Rus played a vital role in the monetary and commodity relations of Ancient Rus'. This Old Russian coin was in circulation in almost all Old Russian principalities and in some other East European Slavic states. The hryvnia of Kievan Rus served to measure the mass of such precious metals as silver and gold. At the same time, the cost of a gold hryvnia was approximately twelve and a half times higher than a silver hryvnia.

It is believed that the hryvnia owes its name to ancient jewelry that was worn around the neck. Such hryvnias were usually made of silver or gold.
Some time later, the ancient Russian hryvnia turned into a certain equivalent of the weight of precious metals, becoming the main monetary unit of Rus' for centuries. The first mention of the hryvnia dates back to 1130.

The first coins of Kievan Rus

The silver hryvnia became the equivalent of a certain number of coins that had a certain weight. It was from this that the counting began not only by weight, but also by pieces, and this equivalent began to be called “hryvnia kun”. Both the silver hryvnia and its derivative, the kun hryvnia, became the basis of payment and monetary relations that developed in Kievan Rus.

This ancient Russian coin had several varieties that were in legal circulation in almost all Russian principalities. For example, there was the “Kiev hryvnia”, which was in circulation around the 11th century. It had a shape resembling a hexagon, and its mass was about 165. Somewhat later, the “Novgorod hryvnia” began to circulate; it began to be mentioned in the 13th century. It was made in the form of a rod, and at first it was mainly used in commodity-money relations in the territory of North-Western Rus'. This hryvnia weighed 204 g. Then the “Chernigov hryvnia” appeared. It is called a transitional hryvnia, since its mass was equivalent to the Novgorod hryvnia, and its shape resembled the Kyiv hryvnia.


Old Russian coins - Novgorod hryvnia

The hryvnia of Kievan Rus appeared in the “coinless period” after such ancient Russian coins as the silver coin and the zlatnik ceased to be minted.
In the 14th century, the “Tatar hryvnia” appeared, which was mainly in use in the Volga region along with other Tatar coins; it was made in the shape of a boat. In Western (Lithuanian Rus) the “Lithuanian hryvnia” was in circulation; it was made in the form of a small rod about 15 cm long and weighing up to 105 g.

Coins of Kievan Rus

The Old Russian hryvnia, both in the form of a silver hryvnia and in the form of a kun hryvnia, had the same weight. However, the latter was made from low-grade silver, and it was 4 times cheaper than a hryvnia of silver. Over time, the value of hryvnias relative to each other has changed. This is explained by the unstable weight of imported coins that came to Rus' and circulated there, and the change in the status of the hryvnia as the main measuring standard. For example, a silver hryvnia was compared in value to four hryvnia kunas. At that time, the Old Russian silver hryvnia had a mass of 204 g, while the kun hryvnia weighed only 51 g.


not flattened coin of ancient Rus'

Hryvnia of Kievan Rus, this mainly concerns the Novgorod hryvnia, which in the 13th century began to be called “ruble” and after some time this name practically squeezed out the ancient name “hryvnia”. It was then that the ancient Russian coin acquired a new name, still used today, “ruble”.
Silver bars, called hryvnias and rubles, ceased to play the role of monetary means in the 15th century. But the well-known name “ruble” remained; they began to call it the main monetary unit, which later formed the monetary system of the Russian state. The Old Russian hryvnia, which then weighed 204 g, became the standard measure for minting new Russian metal money.

The first coins in Rus' are a copy of a silver bar

However, even when the hryvnia ceased to exist as a monetary unit, it continued to exist as a standard of weight, having a mass of 204.75 g. The weight hryvnia was used almost until the 18th century, and then it was replaced by the pound.

Old Russian hryvnia k, Old Russian hryvnia dollar
Hryvnia(Proto-Slav. *grivўna, Old Russian hryvnia, Ukrainian hryvnia, Belarusian grzywna, Polish grzywna, Czech hřívna; from Proto-Slav. *griva) - monetary and weight unit of Ancient Rus', Lithuanian Rus' and some other states and state entities of Eastern Europe. It was used, in particular, to measure the weight of silver and gold (where its monetary equivalent came from). The gold hryvnia was 12.5 times more expensive than the silver one. The first weight unit mentioned in ancient Russian chronicles.

  • 1. History
  • 2 Varieties and names
  • 3 Gallery
  • 4 See also
  • 5 Notes
  • 6 Literature
  • 7 Links

Story

The name comes from the name of the neck decoration “hryvnia”, often made of precious metals - gold or silver. Later, the meaning of the word was transformed and began to correspond to a certain amount (weight) of precious metal, hence the monetary-weight unit. "hryvnia of silver", first mentioned in the Charter of the Grand Duke Mstislav and his son Vsevolod to the Novgorod Yuriev Monastery (1130).

It is also mentioned in birch bark documents of the 11th-15th centuries.

The hryvnia of silver was equivalent in quantity to a certain number of identical coins, hence their counting in pieces came from, and this monetary unit began to be called "hryvnia kun". Both hryvnias became payment and monetary concepts in Ancient Rus'.

Even if you steal a boat, you sell 7 kun, and turn back the boat, and for a sea boat, 3 hryvnia, and for a boat, 2 hryvnia, and for a boat, 8 kun, and for a boat, 8 hryvnia.

Etc. Rus., 131 (1282 ~ XII century)

Initially, the weight of a silver hryvnia and a kun hryvnia was the same, but kuns were made from low-grade silver and cost four times less than real silver ones. Later, there was a gradual change in the values ​​of hryvnia relative to each other, which was caused by the unstable weight of imported coins, as well as the evolution of the hryvnia as a unit of weight. So a hryvnia of silver began to be equal to several hryvnia kun; in the 12th century, a hryvnia of silver, which then weighed about 204 grams, was equal to the value of four hryvnia kun (one hryvnia kun weighed about 51 grams).

The hryvnia kun was equivalent to a certain number of circulating coins.

  • In the 11th century, 1 hryvnia kun = 20 nogatam = 25 kunam = 50 rezanam = 150 vereveritsa (vekshy)
  • in the 12th century, 1 hryvnia kun = 20 nogatam = 50 kun (and the kuna was halved)

Varieties and names

  • "Coin Hryvnia"- a large “irredeemable” silver ingot. It was in circulation during the so-called “coinless period” of Ancient Rus' (XII, XIII and partly XIV centuries), when the minting of Old Russian coins (zlatnik, srebrenik) stopped and foreign coins began to come into circulation
  • "Kyiv hryvnia"- a hexagonal hryvnia, which was in circulation in Kievan Rus since the 11th century and weighed about 163-165 grams
  • "Novgorod hryvnia"- a long silver stick weighing about 204 grams. It was of greatest importance in monetary circulation. Initially it was widespread in the north-west of Rus', and from the middle of the 13th century it spread throughout the entire territory of Ancient Rus'
  • "Chernigov hryvnia"- a transitional form between the Kyiv and Novgorod hryvnias. It was close in shape to the Kyiv one, and in weight - to the Novgorod one
  • "Tatar hryvnia"- a boat-shaped hryvnia, which was in circulation in the Volga region along with Tatar coins of the 14th century
  • Lithuanian (Western Russian) ruble- stick-shaped silver bars with one or several dents on the back, measuring 10-17 cm, weighing 100-105 g. Sources are called hryvnia, izra
  • Lithuanian (Western Russian) trihedral ruble- stick-shaped triangular silver ingots weighing 170-189 g.

In Northern and Central Europe it was called brand.

In the 13th century, the name began to be used for Novgorod hryvnias "ruble", which gradually replaced the name “hryvnia”. In the 15th century, the “hryvnia” and “ruble” bars ceased to be means of payment, although the name “ruble” remained and became the main unit of the Russian monetary system. The hryvnia, weighing 204 grams, was used as the basis for the minting of Russian coins.

The name of the coin “kryvennik” also comes from the hryvnia.

After the hryvnia ceased to circulate as a monetary unit, it remained as a weight unit - "kryvenka" or "rock hryvnia"(from “skalva” - scales) weighing 204.75 grams. The hryvnia was divided into 48 spools (4.26 grams), and the spool into 25 kidneys (0.17 grams). Also used as a measure of weight "big hryvnia"(or “whole weight hryvnia”) weighing 409.52 grams. This unit of weight was used until the 18th century, when it was replaced by the pound (1 pound = 1 large hryvnia = 2 hryvnia).

Gallery

    Novgorod hryvnia from a village in the Koporye region

    Copy of the Kyiv hryvnia, minted by the NBU

see also

Wiktionary has an article "hryvnia"
  • Lithuanian hryvnia
  • Pound (unit)
  • Ukrainian hryvnia

Notes

  1. M. I. Sreznevsky. Certificate of Great Prince Mstislav and his son Vsevolod to the Yuryev Monastery / K. Veselovsky. - St. Petersburg: Printing house of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, 1860. - P. 5.
  2. Letter 531: From Anna to her brother Klymyata. Old Russian birch bark documents.
  3. Letter 915: From Rozhnet to Kosnyatin (demand to send money and threat).. Old Russian birch bark letters.

Literature

Links

  • Strug, Dictionary-reference book “Tales of Igor’s Campaign.”
  • Hryvnia.
  • Hryvnia (all issues of hryvnia, karbovanets and trial notes of Ukraine).

Old Russian hryvnia dollar, Old Russian hryvnia euro, Old Russian hryvnia k, Old Russian hryvnia ruble

Old Russian hryvnia Information About

In the last quarter of the X century. The importance of Arab dirhams in servicing the money market of Russian lands has decreased. This happened through the depletion of silver deposits in the countries of the East, and consequently, a decrease in their supply to Rus'.

At the same time, the quality of Kufic dirhams deteriorated, making them unsuitable for use in international trade. In the northern east and northern west of Rus', this gap was filled to a certain extent by Western European denarii, but the money market of the southern Russian lands did not accept them. At the end of the 11th century. These coins also stopped being imported to Rus'. Taking this into account, in the first decades of the 12th century. coins took their place in the money market hryvnia- massive bars of silver or gold of a specified weight and shape. They were more convenient than coins for paying significant sums of money, they were easier to transport and turn into raw materials for artisan jewelers.

In the monetary circulation of the Eastern Slavs, hryvnias in the form of silver ingots have been known for a long time. A treasure consisting of Kufic dirhams and hryvnias discovered near Staraya Ladoga dates back to 808. However, the ingots of the 9th century. were not yet coin hryvnias: they did not have a standard weight and fineness. These payment bars were used alongside dirhams and denarii throughout the 10th and 11th centuries, and their number was constantly growing - in individual monetary complexes they constitute a significant part. Yes, in one of the Volynian treasures, which dates back to the 10th century, there are 41 stick-like ingots. At the same time, gold bars of the same shape appear in the basin of the middle reaches of the Dnieper. From the XII century. Coin hryvnias - bars of standardized weight and fineness - are increasingly being recorded in treasures. There are no coins in these complexes, which gave researchers grounds to conclude that the “Coinless” period began in the history of the monetary economy of the Kievan state. However, the term “coinless” should not be taken unconditionally. I. Spassky used it to determine the break in coinage on Russian lands, which lasted until the second half of the 14th century. Indeed, during this time, coins continued to remain on the money market of the Russian lands, although their share decreased significantly. The emergence and rapid spread of monetary hryvnias were predetermined by the rise of the economy, crafts and trade, the development of feudal relations, the formation of large land ownership, which led to the concentration of wealth in the hands of the ruling elite - members of the princely family, the service and zemstvo boyars, and the merchant elite. It was in hryvnias that debts and indemnities were paid; treasures in the princely, boyar and church treasuries were stored in them. In 1144, the Galician prince Volodymyrko Volodarovich (1124-1153) was forced to pay the Kyiv prince an indemnity in the amount of 1,400 hryvnia of silver, that is, from 230 to 280 kg of this precious metal. Somewhat later, in 1146, Prince Ivan Berladnik received 200 hryvnias of silver and 12 hryvnias of gold as payment for his service from the Chernigov prince Svyatoslav. In everyday circulation, due to their significant value, coin hryvnias and their fractions were not used.

Among numismatist researchers, there is no single idea regarding the dating of the appearance of the first coin hryvnia. Most of them are inclined to think that their production began in the second half of the 11th century. The first to appear on the money market Kyiv style hryvnia- diamond-shaped hexagonal ingots of silver, the weight of which ranged from 161 to 164 g. This almost coincided with half the Byzantine liter of silver - 163.73 g. They were produced in Kyiv - that is where most of them were discovered. Archaeological research in recent years gives reason to assert that the place of their production was the largest monasteries of the princely capital city. At this time, over 400 hryvnias of this type are known, the distribution area of ​​which covered Kyiv, Chernigov, Volyn, Smolensk and other lands. Similar in appearance to them are the so-called pseudo Kiev heavy hryvnias, but they are much thicker and have smoothed edges. The main difference is their significantly greater weight - ~ 204 g, which is close to the weight standard of Novgorod hryvnia. The topography of finds of pseudo-Kiev ingots is limited primarily to the Ryazan and Tver lands, and there are much fewer of them in the territory of Southern Rus'. This enabled M. Kotlyar to admit that these were hryvnias of North Russian origin, which were an intermediate type of coin hryvnia between the South Russian and North Russian coin-weight systems. This type of hryvnia appeared on the market in the middle of the 12th century.

The most common throughout Rus' were Novgorod-type hryvnias, which looked like a slightly bent silver stick. Therefore, they are often called “boat-like”. At this time, over 500 units of Novgorod-type hryvnia are known, which come from 100 treasures. The weight standard for ingots of this type was 204.756 g, which was equal to half a pound weighing 409.5 g. Their production began at the end of the 11th - in the first half of the 12th century.

The most mysterious type of ancient Russian coin hryvnia is Chernigov type silver bars. Unlike other types of hryvnias, they usually have an irregular shape and are made rather sloppily. These ingots were produced periodically, depending on demand. The places of their production could be not only cities, but also rural areas. The population had doubts about their quality, evidence of which is the frequent flattening of the surface - this is how it was checked. This was also the reason why Chernigov-type hryvnias most often became raw materials for artisan jewelers. Their production was concentrated in several regions, one of which was Chernigovo-Siversk land. The average weight of these ingots ranged between 195.56 g and 196.74 g.

An interesting fact is that in addition to whole hryvnias of the Chernigov type, half hryvnias were also made. Other types of hryvnia were divided into fractions by cutting whole ingots.

Old Russian hryvnias of all types were made by casting in open molds. Their quality was closely related to the perfect manufacturing of the mold itself. The length, width and height of the ingot depended on its implementation. Its surface is predominantly rough, porous, covered with shells (cavities), which were formed as a result of burning additives and slags. The quality of silver in coin hryvnias is quite high and ranges between 915 and 960 samples. The shape of the first Chernigov (North Russian) hryvnia initially corresponded to the samples of Kyiv ingots, but their thick and short ends were unfavorable for flattening. Therefore, a new shape was introduced for Chernigov hryvnias - diamond-shaped, with long elongated ends that were easily flattened. However, after some period of time, manufacturers simplified this shape by eliminating the triangular protrusions on the longitudinal sides. The appearance of the Chernigov type hryvnias became elliptical.

In the development of the Russian economy, including monetary circulation, starting from the 13th century, the northwestern territories played a huge role, and especially Novgorod, a large trading city that did not experience the horrors of the Tatar-Mongol invasion.

It is through this city that silver comes to Rus'. After the victory of Russian troops on Lake Peipus in 1242, regular exchange was restored. The silver brought in the form of coins was melted down into a more traditional form of ingots for that time - hryvnia.

Painting by Viktor Vasnetsov "Novgorod auction"

The concept of “Russian money” in this era is fully expressed in one term - “silver”. The hryvnia kun is a large unit of account, which in the past consisted of Western European denarii or Kufic dirhams, has now turned into a hryvnia bullion. The new hryvnia of silver included four old hryvnia of kun, which consisted of coins.

During the coinless period in Rus', there were various types of silver hryvnia. The main types were -
Kyiv ingots of the 11th-13th centuries in the shape of an elongated hexagon weighing 135 - 169 grams. This weight coincided with half a Byzantine liter of silver - 163.73 g. They were manufactured in Kyiv - this is where most of the ingots were discovered. Archaeological research in recent years gives reason to assert that the place of their production was the largest monasteries near the capital city of Kyiv.

To date, over 400 hryvnias of this type are known, the distribution area of ​​which covered Kyiv, Chernigov, Volyn, Smolensk and other lands.

Kyiv hryvnia

Chernigov hryvnias are diamond-shaped ingots. Unlike other types of hryvnias, they usually have an irregular shape and are rather sloppily executed. These ingots were produced periodically, depending on demand. The places of their production could be not only cities, but also rural areas.

The population had doubts about their quality, evidence of which is the frequent flattening of the surface - thus checking the quality of the metal in the ingot. This was also the reason why Chernigov-type hryvnias most often became raw materials for artisan jewelers. Their production was concentrated in several regions, one of which was Chernigovo-Siversk land.

The average weight of these ingots ranged between 195.56 g and 196.74 g.

Chernihiv hryvnia

Novgorod hryvnias were usually cast from coins. This is confirmed by the finds of treasures. According to information given in Ivan Georgievich Spassky’s book “The Russian Monetary System,” Novgorod hryvnias are often found in treasures along with dirhams and medieval denarii.

Novgorod ingots had an oblong shape and weighed about 200 grams. The peculiarity of Novgorod hryvnias is that many of them have inscriptions - names and various marks.

There are two points of view regarding names. According to one of them, names are signs of quality - marks of craftsmen (Livtsi) who cast the ingots and are responsible with their honest name for their quality. Another version comes down to the fact that when creating joint trading capitals and enterprises, the merchant who contributed a share of capital (as they would now say - a shareholder) signed his silver in order to indicate the percentage of his participation in the business and, accordingly, determine the amount of profit received.

Novgorod hryvnia

On Novgorod hryvnias one can also notice rows of transverse stripes, usually scratched at one of the ends, which end in an inclined line. These are kind of working notes. As the researchers established, these scratches indicate the difference in the weight of the “raw” silver before melting and the silver in the form of the resulting ingot. Some of the metal impurities burned out during smelting, and the weight of the hryvnia became less than the silver brought for smelting, but the standard of the precious metal in the hryvnia increased.

When casting money bars in Novgorod, earthen molds were used. They were open. The top surface remained smooth as it cooled. The same planes that came into contact with the ground became porous. Craftsmen cast hryvnias using special spoons - they contained exactly as much silver as was required for one ingot. Along with large orders for casting hryvnias from coins, small orders were also received - from private individuals, for example. Thus, archaeologists discovered crucibles (containers for melting metal) in Novgorod for 1-2 or 3 ingots.



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