Mints, Moneyers and the Geography of Power in Early Medieval England and its Neighbours
Thanks to the inscriptions on early medieval coins, the locations where they were made—mints—are among the best-recorded selections of places in Europe. This chapter seeks to demonstrate that the establishment of mints at particular times and places depended above all on contemporary governmental and social conditions. The later Roman Empire had emphasised the centrality of a few large mints closely tied to the fiscal system, but its successor kingdoms in England, Francia, Italy and Spain followed different criteria. Production was often organised on a more personal than institutional basis through the mediation of moneyers, and commercial activity, administrative functions or military/political significance could all dictate the production of coin. It is essential to consider the interaction of these and other factors in shaping the role of a mint, as well as the diversity in function and scale that could apply within even one territory.