The first Rus’ coins
Soon after the Baptism Vladimir began to strike the first coins of Rus’ — gold zlatniks and silver srebreniks showing the prince on his throne with the trident of the Rurikids, Christ on the reverse, and the legend “Vladimir on the throne”.
- Date
- between 988 and 1000 – 1015start: exact date unknown: an interval is given; end: year known · duration: ≈ 21 years
- Place
- Kyivtoday: Kyiv, Ukraine · Eastern Europe
- Participants
- Vladimir the Great, Kievan Rus’
- Threads
- Eastern Europe and Rus’ before the Baptism (1st–10th c.)
- Also known as
- Zlatnik; Srebrenik; Златник; Сребреник; Coins of Vladimir
The coins imitated Byzantine types but bore Cyrillic legends: “Vladimir on the throne” and, on some, “and this is his gold” (or silver). Only a dozen zlatniks and a few hundred srebreniks are known, so they were struck in small numbers and served more as a statement of sovereignty and Christian kingship than as everyday money, which remained Arab dirhams and, later, western deniers. Srebreniks were also struck by Sviatopolk and by Yaroslav in Novgorod.
Their Rus’ origin was established only in the 19th century, after the hoards found at Pinsk (1804) and Nizhyn (1852). The coinage is dated by style and by its Christian imagery to the years after 988; it ended with Vladimir’s death in 1015 or soon after.
Connections
Related events
- Baptism of Rus’988 · Eastern Europethe first coins show Christ and the prince enthroned
Same participants
- Building of the Church of the Tithes989–996 · Eastern Europevia Vladimir the Great
- Battle of the Kalka River31 May 1223 · Eastern Europevia Kievan Rus’
Same place
- Kyiv culturec. 200 – between 400 and 430 · Eastern Europe
- Kyi, Shchek and Khoryv: the legendary founding of Kyivbetween 500 and 700 · Eastern Europe
- First Christianization of the Rus’between 860 and 867 · Eastern Europe
- Askold and Dir rule in Kyiv862–882 · Eastern Europe
- Oleg takes Kyiv882 · Eastern Europe
- The Pechenegs first come to the Rus’ land915 · Eastern Europe
- Constantine VII describes the Rus’ route to Constantinoplebetween 948 and 952 · Eastern Europe
- Pecheneg siege of Kyiv968 · Eastern Europe
- Feud of the Sviatoslavichi977 – between 978 and 980 · Eastern Europe
- Vladimir’s pagan pantheonbetween 978 and 980 · Eastern Europe
- Vladimir’s choice of faith986–987 · Eastern Europe
- Siege of Kyiv5 September – between 19 November and 6 December 1240 · Eastern Europe
Meanwhile in the world
Other regions, within 25 years of this event
Western and Central Europe
- Coronation of Stephen I of Hungarybetween 25 December 1000 and 1 January 1001
- Christianization of Icelandbetween 999 and 1000
- Hugh Capet becomes King of the FranksMay 987 – 3 July 987
- Baptism of Poland14 April 966
Balkans and Anatolia
- Battle of the Gates of Trajan17 August 986
- Siege of Dorostolon23 April 971 – July 971
- Sviatoslav’s invasion of Bulgariabetween 967 and 968 – July 971
North America
- Leif Erikson reaches Vinlandc. 1000
The same period
Sources
- Wikipedia (English): Money of Kievan Rus'
- Wikipedia (Russian): Деньги в Древней Руси
- Wikipedia (Russian): Златник
- Wikipedia (Russian): Сребреник
- Сотникова М. П. Древнейшие русские монеты X–XI веков: каталог и исследование. — М.: Банки и биржи, 1995.