Historical Sketch

In the 12th century, the city of Lucca emancipated from the then Margraviate of Tuscany and adopted a republican constitution. In 1800, Lucca was conquered by Napoleonic France which guaranteed the republican order for some more years. In 1805, it was combined with a neighboring city state to form the Principality of Lucca and Piombino, ruled by Napoleon's sister Elisa. In 1809, Elisa ascended the grand-ducal throne of Tuscany, and the little principality was de facto annexed. The 1815 Congress of Vienna constituted the Duchy of Lucca under Bourbon-Parma rule, while Piombino remained with Tuscany. In 1847, the duke of Lucca switched to the more prominent throne of Parma, and Lucca was annexed to Tuscany.

Monetary History Overview

Before the Napoleonic conquest, the Republic of Lucca had its distinct unit of account, called Lira. The circulating medium was based on Thaler-sized silver coins, which had last been issued in 1735. The Principality of Lucca and Piombino adopted the French accounting, and the 1806 coinage act created the Luccan Franc as base unit. French coins were imported and the former republican coinage continued circulating. Local coins were finally produced around 1811, but were not issued in significant number as at that time the ruler had already moved to neighboring Tuscany. After creation of the Duchy of Lucca in 1815, the French coinage gradually disappeared. In 1819, the pre-Napoleonic accounting was restored, but the Luccan Lira was now aligned to the French Franc in silver thus about 4.5% heavier than in republican times. The state's resources did not allow the issuance of specie coins, only subsidiary coins were produced in modest amounts. In 1847, Lucca was annexed by neighboring Tuscany. The Luccan coins were gradually withdrawn afterwards.

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