Flag of the Kingdom of Württemberg (1806-1918)
History
The name Württemberg shares the same origin as Verdun in France, stemming from the Celtic word Virodunum which means Man's Hill. The hill is located in Stuttgart which is now a major German city and has been Württemberg's capital for most of its history.
The County of Württemberg evolved out of the medieval stem duchy of Swabia in the 11th century. It was briefly partitioned into Württemberg-Stuttgart and Württemberg-Urach but reunited in 1482. Shortly after in 1495 Emperor Maximilian I elevated Württemberg to a duchy.
In the 16th century Württemberg was involved in the Swabian Wars and was occupied by Habsburg troops from 1519 until 1534. The repossession by Duke Ulrich also introduced protestantism to the duchy, which would place it at odds with imperial Habsburg power once again during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). Württemberg suffered tremendously from this conflict, when almost two third of its population perished or emigrated.
Also after 1648 Württemberg was often involuntarily involved in conflicts between France and either German or Austrian opponents. During the Napoleonic Wars (1792-1815) the Duchy of Württemberg allied with France and was raised to an electorate in 1803. But as the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1806, the function of elector became obsolete and Napoleon raised Württemberg to a kingdom. A promotion in return for allegiance, a tactic that you can even witness in the modern corporate world.
After Napoleon's defeat Württemberg joined the German Confederation in 1815. During the decades that followed the kingdom developed a relatively liberal political tradition influenced by the revolutionary ideas coming out of France. During the Austro-Prussian War (1866) Württemberg joined the Austrians against the Prussians but only with a small contribution. Four years later it allied with Prussia in the Franco-Prussian War that led to the unification of Germany in 1871.
Map of the German Confederation (1815-1866). Württemberg was located in the south west of Germany, surrounded by Baden and Bavaria.
From then on Württemburg was the smallest kingdom within the German Empire, behind Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony. Its governance was relatively liberal (compared to Prussia) and the king well-respected. But in the aftermath of World War I its monarchy was abolished and Württemberg became a Free State of the Weimar Republic.
After the Second World War the region was rearranged several times, eventually forming the federal state of Baden-Württemberg in 1952, combining Württemberg with Baden and Hohenzollern. It is currently one of the most prosperous regions in Germany, in contrast to the centuries of relative poverty it had witnessed before.
Currency
Goldgulden (1374-1623)
Württemberg was granted minting rights in 1374. It started minting small silver coins based on the Pfennigs of the nearby city of Hall. These coins were known as Häller Pfennigs, the origin of the name Heller, which still lives on today as the subunit Haler of the Czech Koruna.
In accordance with the Carolingian monetary system that had existed since the 8th century, 12 Heller formed a Schilling and 20 Schilling a Pound, although the latter was not a coin but only a unit of account.
During that time the Goldgulden, based on the Florentine Fiorino d'Oro from Italy, was the most used trade coin in southern Germany. In 1396 Württemberg agreed with several nearby states to value the Goldgulden at 276 Heller (or 23 Schilling).
Schilling depicting a palm tree and dated 1494. This coin was one of the earliest dated coins in history. On top of that it was a bit peculiar to show a tree that does not grow natively in Württemberg. I suppose the engraver was 'California dreaming'.
As the Heller was debased over time, Pfennig coins worth 2 Heller were added in the early 15th century. The Goldgulden was adjusted to 28 Schilling and this would remain this way as a unit of account until 1623. Next to the Schilling of 12 Heller also Schillings of 12 Pfennigs (aka Doppelschilling) were minted. There were 21 Groschen in a Gulden, and a Groschen was worth 4 Gröschlein. Hence 1 Gulden = 14 Schilling-Pfennig = 21 Groschen = 28 Schilling-Heller = 84 Gröschlein = 168 Pfennig = 336 Heller. Not the most workable currency system one can think of, but I suppose the contemporary Württembergers were pretty fluent in using multiples of 7.
To add to confusion, the division of Gulden in 60 Kreuzer, common in most of Southern Germany, was used in parallel. And 4 Kreuzer made up a Batzen. In 1591 coins of 1/25 and 1/37½ Gulden were minted, but these rather odd denominations remained a one-off.
By the early 16th century the Goldgulden was debased to 2/3 of its gold content and the first heavy silver equivalents (Gulden, Guldiner or Guldenthaler) were minted as 60 Kreuzer coins to replace the gold ones. In 1542 the Thaler was revalued to 72 Kreuzer with the Gulden remaining at 60 Kreuzer. The gold Ducat was valued at 104 Kreuzer.
Kipper and Wipper era (1618-1623)
During the first years of the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) Germany witnessed a bout of inflation with mints producing a large amount of debased coins. This era is known as the Kipper and Wipper era, referring to the practice of using low purity silver and shaving off the rims to save metal.
In Württemberg this produced a large variety of types, with the Hirschgulden (Deer Guilder) of 60 Kreuzer famous for its design. When in 1623 the entire monetary system was reformed, the 30 and 60 Kreuzer coins from Württemberg were devalued to 5 and 10 Kreuzer respectively.
A Hirschgulden (Deer Guilder) from the Kipper era. The design was quite detailed for the era and hence a famous example of Württemberg coinage from the inflationary first years of the Thirty Years' War. After a monetary reform in 1623 this coin was devalued to 10 Kreuzer.
South German monetary reform (1623-1754)
In 1623 the South German states reorganised the monetary system with a Thaler equal to 1½ Gulden or 90 Kreuzer. In Württemberg the Schillings were discontinued, and the Heller adjusted to 1/6 Kreuzer. The Ducat was worth 3 Gulden, but increased further in value over time, reaching 4 Gulden in 1692.
Over the years Württemberg was never able to fully follow the imperial minting standards which meant that the Reichsthaler was effectively worth 105 to 120 Kreuzer, even though officially it had to be 90 Kreuzer.
Conventionsthaler (1754-1838)
In 1754 the Conventionsthaler was introduced at a value of 2 Gulden. Silver content was determined by the Cologne Mark, a unit of mass weighing 233.86 grams. There were 10 Conventionsthalers in a Mark, and hence 20 Gulden made up the same. This was referred to as the 20 Gulden standard. This Conventionsgulden was worth 60 Kreuzer Conventionsmünze.
But the South German states were not able to maintain their Gulden's value in this Austrian-led Conventionsthaler system. Soon they adjusted the silver content to a 24 Gulden standard, with the debased Gulden worth 60 Kreuzer Landmünze. So now we had a situation where 1 Conventionsthaler was equal to 120 Kreuzer Conventionsmünze and 144 Kreuzer Landmünze. In Württemberg the 10 and 20 Kreuzer Conventionsmünze coins were even referred to as coins of 12 and 24 Kreuzer, which is rather confusing to say the least. Meanwhile the gold Ducat had increased in value to 5 Gulden.
After the Napoleonic Wars the Kronenthaler, valued at 162 Kr (2.7 Gulden), gained importance. Previously the Kronenthaler had been mainly in use in the Austrian Netherlands and the Duchy of Milan, but gained wider acceptance as a trade coin in southern Germany during the early 19th century. The last Conventionsthaler was minted in 1818, but Kronenthalers were minted until the 1830's. Still the unit of account remained Gulden.
South German Gulden (1838-1873)
The South German states adjusted their Gulden to a 24½ to the Cologne Mark standard in order to align it with the Prussian Thaler which was on a 14 Thaler standard. Their common coin was a double denominated 2 Thaler and 3½ Gulden. From 1857 Württemberg started minting Vereinsthalers which were worth 1¾ Gulden, but continued the Gulden as main unit of account. The gold Ducat was revalued once again to 5¾ Gulden.
In 1873, two years after the German unification, the Mark replaced the South German Gulden at a rate of 35 Kreuzer. Higher denomination Mark coins were minted for Württemberg, but not in very large numbers. When the monarchy ceased to exist in 1918, no coins with local effigies were minted anymore and only national coinage was used.
Catalogue links
County of Württemberg (11th century-1495)
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/wurttemberg_county-1.html
Duchy of Württemberg (1495-1803)
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/wurttemberg_duchy-1.html
Electorate of Württemberg (1803-1806)
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/wurttemberg_electorate-1.html
Kingdom of Württemberg (1806-1918)
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/wurttemberg_kingdom-1.html
