1 Seiseno – Principality of Catalonia

In 1643, the Principality of Catalonia was embroiled in the Reapers' War (Guerra dels Segadors), a complex conflict that began as a revolt against the fiscal and political centralization efforts of the Spanish Crown under Philip IV and his minister, the Count-Duke of Olivares. By this point, the war had escalated into an international struggle, with Catalonia's political institutions having declared Louis XIII of France Count of Barcelona in 1641, placing the principality under French protection. This meant that in 1643, two competing currencies were vying for legitimacy on Catalan soil: the traditional Catalan currency (like the lliura, sou, and diners) and the French livre, sol, and denier introduced by the occupying French administration.

The war itself had caused severe economic dislocation and monetary chaos. The massive costs of maintaining French and Catalan troops led to relentless fiscal pressure, including forced loans and confiscations. Crucially, both the retreating Spanish forces and the incoming French authorities engaged in rampant debasement of coinage to fund their military campaigns. This involved reducing the precious metal content in coins, leading to inflation, a loss of public confidence in the currency, and the hoarding of older, purer coins. The simultaneous circulation of debased, legitimate, and foreign coins created a bewildering and unstable monetary environment for daily commerce.

Therefore, the currency situation in 1643 was not merely one of economic policy but a direct reflection of the fractured sovereignty and brutal realities of war. The coinage in one's pocket symbolized political allegiance, while its fluctuating value captured the principality's profound instability. This monetary confusion exacerbated the general hardship of the population, compounding the devastation caused by warfare, famine, and plague, and undermining any prospect of economic recovery while the conflict endured.