52:
20:
358:
393:
377:
527:
340:
would have been very much in evidence, many of the knights no doubt having helped themselves very liberally to the booty. This event took place at the very dawn of the widespread adoption of arms by the knightly class, and thus it may have been an obvious symbol for many returned crusaders to use in
206:
were the metals of choice for money. Gold coins were almost continually produced by the
Byzantines and medieval Arabs. These circulated in Western European trade in smallish numbers, originating from the coinage mints of the Eastern Mediterranean. In Western Europe, the gold coins of
287:
Although the medieval "bezant" usually referred to a gold coin, some medieval Latin texts have been noted to expand its usage to cover silver coins. These silver bezants were often called "white bezants". Occasionally in Latin they were also called
296:
bezants". Like the gold bezants, the silver bezants by definition were issuances by the
Byzantine government or by an Arabic government, and not by a Latin government, and the usage of the term was confined to the Latin West.
325:
originated during the crusading era, when
Western European knights first came into contact with Byzantine gold coins, and were perhaps struck with their fine quality and purity. During the
227:
was used by the late medieval Greeks, while the name bezant was used by the late medieval Latin merchants for the same coin. The
Italians also used the name
357:
276:
for coins of North Africa (including Tunis and
Tripoli), Cyprus, Armenia and Tabriz (in today's northwestern Iran), whereas it used the term
376:
556:
488:
392:
186:
in reference to coins is common in sources from the 10th through 13th centuries. Thereafter, it was mainly employed as a
51:
460:
514:. Sir John Russell was a favoured courtier of King Henry III, granted by the King the barony of Newmarch c. 1216.
476:
333:
269:
242:
Medievally from the 12th century onward (if not earlier), the
Western European term bezant also meant the
211:
were highly prized. These gold coins were commonly called bezants. The first "bezants" were the
Byzantine
258:
used the term bezant in the account of his travels to East Asia when describing the currencies of the
561:
531:
399:
163:
were termed "Saracen bezants", since they were modelled on the gold dinar. A completely different
264:
246:
coins minted by
Islamic governments. The Islamic coins were originally modelled on the Byzantine
198:
Gold coins were rarely minted in early medieval
Western Europe, up until the later 13th century;
250:
during the early years after the onset of Islam. The term bezant was used in the late medieval
455:. Third edition (1903), revised and updated by Henri Cordier. Plain Label Books. p. 1226-27. (
383:
19:
156:
24:
418:
Peter Edbury, "Ernoul, Eracles and the
Beginnings of Frankish Rule in Cyprus, 1191–1232",
8:
551:
83:
310:
251:
208:
456:
364:
318:
176:
170:
160:
55:
44:
507:
187:
132:
125:
59:
546:
336:
by Western forces. During this sacking of the richest city of Europe, the gold
330:
326:
121:
108:
100:
67:
63:
40:
32:
475:, by Francesco Balducci Pegolotti, dated 1343, full text online in Italian at
540:
448:
131:
The original "bezants" were the gold coins produced by the government of the
43:). Gold coins were first copied dinars and bore Kufic script, but after 1250
28:
259:
91:
494:
The Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge
289:
75:
343:
444:
293:
262:
around the year 1300. An Italian merchant's handbook dated about 1340,
255:
243:
155:
produced by Islamic governments. In turn, the gold coins minted in the
152:
146:
117:
104:
39:
gold bezant (1140–1180); gold bezant with Christian symbol (1250s) (
306:
164:
138:
526:
511:
203:
199:
168:
144:
136:
36:
16:
Generic medieval Western European name for eastern gold coins
453:
The Travels of Marco Polo: The Complete Yule-Cordier Edition
341:
their new arms. When arms are strewn with bezants, the term
223:
in Constantinople in the late 11th century. The name
538:
420:Medieval Cyprus: A Place of Cultural Encounter
235:for the same coin (an abridgement of the name
107:of the east, all derived ultimately from the
110:
94:
215:coins; later, the name was applied to the
151:. Later, the term was used to cover the
50:
18:
190:and in literary and heraldic contexts.
116:. The word itself comes from the Greek
539:
317:, in reference to the coin. Like many
300:
47:were added following Papal complaints.
313:of a gold colour is referred to as a
254:to refer to the Egyptian gold dinar.
438:
193:
13:
433:The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium
386:, a 13th-century English courtier.
14:
573:
520:
62:(1270–1300), and Tripoli silver
525:
391:
375:
356:
179:and called the "white bezant".
500:
482:
466:
425:
412:
143:and from the 11th century the
1:
557:Coins of the Byzantine Empire
406:
169:
145:
137:
7:
431:Philip Grierson, "Bezant",
10:
578:
473:La Pratica della Mercatura
284:for the Byzantine bizant.
400:William Pitt the Younger
167:coin based on Byzantine
422:(Waxmann, 2015), p. 44.
265:Pratica della mercatura
87:
31:in European style with
497:, Volume 4, year 1835.
120:, the ancient name of
111:
95:
71:
48:
23:Crusader coins of the
534:at Wikimedia Commons
219:, which replaced the
124:, the capital of the
54:
22:
157:Kingdom of Jerusalem
103:to describe several
25:Kingdom of Jerusalem
506:Arms of Russell of
477:MedievalAcademy.org
367:displaying fifteen
301:Bezants in heraldry
252:Republic of Venice
209:Byzantine currency
175:was minted in the
72:
49:
530:Media related to
365:Duchy of Cornwall
177:Kingdom of Cyprus
161:County of Tripoli
56:County of Tripoli
45:Christian symbols
569:
562:Heraldic charges
529:
515:
508:Kingston Russell
504:
498:
486:
480:
470:
464:
442:
436:
429:
423:
416:
395:
384:Sir John Russell
379:
360:
319:heraldic charges
272:, used the term
194:Medieval history
188:money of account
174:
150:
142:
133:Byzantine Empire
126:Byzantine Empire
114:
98:
96:bizantius aureus
577:
576:
572:
571:
570:
568:
567:
566:
537:
536:
523:
518:
505:
501:
487:
483:
471:
467:
443:
439:
430:
426:
417:
413:
409:
402:
396:
387:
380:
371:
361:
303:
196:
58:gold bezant in
17:
12:
11:
5:
575:
565:
564:
559:
554:
549:
522:
521:External links
519:
517:
516:
499:
481:
465:
449:Cordier, Henri
437:
424:
410:
408:
405:
404:
403:
397:
390:
388:
381:
374:
372:
363:Banner of the
362:
355:
331:Constantinople
327:Fourth Crusade
302:
299:
195:
192:
122:Constantinople
101:Western Europe
99:) was used in
68:British Museum
41:British Museum
33:Holy Sepulchre
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
574:
563:
560:
558:
555:
553:
550:
548:
545:
544:
542:
535:
533:
528:
513:
509:
503:
496:
495:
491:
485:
478:
474:
469:
462:
461:1-60303-615-6
458:
454:
450:
446:
441:
434:
428:
421:
415:
411:
401:
394:
389:
385:
378:
373:
370:
366:
359:
354:
353:
352:
350:
346:
345:
339:
335:
332:
328:
324:
320:
316:
312:
308:
298:
295:
291:
285:
283:
279:
275:
271:
267:
266:
261:
257:
253:
249:
245:
240:
238:
234:
230:
226:
222:
218:
214:
210:
205:
201:
191:
189:
185:
180:
178:
173:
172:
166:
162:
158:
154:
149:
148:
141:
140:
134:
129:
127:
123:
119:
115:
113:
106:
102:
97:
93:
89:
85:
81:
77:
69:
66:(1275–1287).
65:
61:
57:
53:
46:
42:
38:
34:
30:
26:
21:
524:
502:
493:
489:
484:
472:
468:
452:
440:
432:
427:
419:
414:
368:
348:
342:
337:
329:the city of
322:
314:
304:
292:bezants" / "
286:
281:
277:
273:
263:
247:
241:
236:
232:
228:
224:
220:
216:
212:
197:
183:
181:
135:, first the
130:
79:
73:
445:Yule, Henry
290:miliaresion
260:Yuan Empire
153:gold dinars
78:, the term
76:Middle Ages
35:(1162–75);
552:Gold coins
541:Categories
407:References
334:was sacked
294:miliarense
256:Marco Polo
244:gold dinar
237:hyperpyron
225:hyperpyron
147:hyperpyron
105:gold coins
84:Old French
351:is used.
270:Pegolotti
217:hyperpyra
182:The term
118:Byzantion
398:Arms of
382:Arms of
344:bezantée
307:heraldry
165:electrum
532:Bezants
435:(1991).
369:bezants
349:bezanty
311:roundel
278:perpero
248:solidus
229:perpero
171:trachea
139:nomisma
112:solidus
90:, from
74:In the
512:Dyrham
510:&
490:Bezant
459:
338:bezant
323:bezant
321:, the
315:bezant
282:pipero
274:bisant
233:pipero
221:solidi
213:solidi
204:bronze
200:silver
184:bezant
109:Roman
88:besant
80:bezant
60:Arabic
29:Denier
547:Coins
92:Latin
37:Kufic
457:ISBN
309:, a
202:and
159:and
64:gros
347:or
305:In
268:by
239:).
231:or
543::
492:@
451:.
447:;
280:/
128:.
86::
27::
479:.
463:)
288:"
82:(
70:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
