Petition to Henry VI from Dutch Merchants
On 20 January 1445 a Petition to Henry VI was received from Dutch Merchants. It concerned fraud and the use of counterfeit bills in Calais.
A.D. 1445, January 20. Petition to the king from certain merchants at “Leythe in Holande” complaining of certain frauds committed upon them by means of falsified bills upon the is loyal mint at Calais, and otherwise; and praying that proceedings thereupon be not removed into England, but be heard before the Staple at Calais. On the endorsement it is stated that the petition was granted 20 January, 23 Hen VI. From the original Petition, preserved among the Privy Seals[i].
International Finances and Customs
Finance and currency were both significant factors in the waging of the Hundred Years War. From the beginning of the conflict England in particular had needed to address fiscal constraints to undertake her campaigns in France.
The measures included general taxation at various points of the period. Customs duties too were a source of revenue, with most imports and exports being required to go through Calais.
Siege of Calais and its fall to Edward III
Calais in the Wars of the Roses
English need for Bullion
The decision to make Calais the entry and exit point for imports and exports was based on the need for bullion. Europe had found itself in the midst of a shortage of readily available precious metals. This resulted in some states changing the type of metal used, from Gold to Silver, for example.
Rules for Buying and Selling English Exports
Rules governing the purchase of high quality cloth at Calais changed over the Hundred Years War. At the height of the bullion crisis, purchases had to be made in coins rather than credit. A fixed proportion of this payment had to be made in English currency. To purchase English goods, a continental merchant had to help alleviate England’s financial problems.
Such methods helped to make sure that the garrison at Calais and in English controlled France could be paid. It meant that there were funds available to make payments to the Magnates who were charged with defence of the continental lands held by the King of England.
The Calais Mint
Non English bullion collected at Calais was, for a time, melted down in the Staple of Calais and minted their as English currency. This coinage was then put into circulation to boost the economy. The problem was that sometimes, this led to disputes over the quality of the coins. If they were the wrong weight, they held less value than the stated amount. This, to foreign merchants, was a simple case of fraud. Here they ask for it to be investigated by officials within the Staple of Calais.
Asking for the case to be heard in Calais is deliberate. If there were misdemeanours being committed with regards the mint at Calais, it was men benefitting from the monopoly that Calais held who were responsible. For them, the retention of Calais’ monopoly was financially important. Pressure on them, through official channels via petitioning the King, would be intended to ensure fairness in the way that the mint operated.
[i] Letters and Papers Illustrative of the Wars of the English in France During the Reign of Henry the Sixth, King of England – Joseph Stevenson [https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=q6dx0_JcyKUC&printsec=frontcover&pg=GBS.RA1-PA594]
Featured Image
Henry VI (1422-1461), First reign, Halfgroat, rosette-mascle issue (1430-31), Calais mint, mintmark cross type V. Crowned facing bust. Rev, VILLA CALISIE, rosette after POSVI and CALISIE
External Links
Medieval Merchants and English Mints and Exchanges, 973-1489
