Wiardunek

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The Wiardunek (also referred to as wiardunk, czwartak or ferton; German : Viertel, [1] Latin : ferto) was a Mediaeval Central European unit of mass most widely used in Poland and Germany. [1] Wiardunek was also used as a unit of account, and as a such as commodity money.

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As a unit of mass 1 wiardunek (ca. 49 g) was equivalent to 1/4 of grzywna. [2] Two ounces made up one wiardunek, and in turn each ounce consisted of two lots.

As a unit of currency, the wiardunek was introduced probably around 14th century, first in Bohemia and then in other Central European states. [2] This usage followed the same scheme as for other commodities, that is 1 wiardunek of pure silver was equivalent to 1/4 of grzywna, which in turn was composed of 64 groschen. [2] This usage was true regardless of changes in overall weight of grzywna, which was the basic unit of mass in this system. [3]

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References

Citations

  1. 1 2 Einsle, pp. 122–124.
  2. 1 2 3 Szwagrzyk, pp. 51, 58–60.
  3. Szwagrzyk, p. 51.

Bibliography