Magnus Lagabøte – lovgiver og myntreformator

Sammendrag

This article examines King Magnus Lagabøte’s monetary reforms and their significance for monetary policy in the context of medieval Norway. It contends that while Magnus is predominantly recognized as a legislator, his reforms of the monetary system mark critical turning points in Norwegian monetary history, establishing a stable monetary framework comparable to those in other parts of Europe. The author highlights two principal reforms: a recoinage (Latin: Renovatio monetae) initiated shortly after his succession in 1264/5, which involved the exchange of old coins for a fresh royal coinage, thereby securing royal access to silver and generating opportunities for extraordinary revenues. By the end of the king’s reign, a discernible shift occurred from small, thin, one-sided bracteates to robust two-sided coins, influenced by contemporary currencies such as the English sterling and the French gros tournois. The new coinage adhered to European standards, albeit with a reduced silver content. This monetary system introduced multiple denominations, a development further refined during the regency of his son, Eirik Magnusson (after 1280), when pennies, half-pennies, and quarter-pennies were issued. This system emerged as the most sophisticated among the Scandinavian kingdoms of the period. Legislative measures, papal records of tax collections, and archaeological evidence suggest that the king’s right to mint was a vital royal privilege. Notably, laws against counterfeiting were codified in the Landsloven, representing the first legislative measures concerning such offenses in the Norwegian kingdom. Counterfeiting the king’s currency was met with Ubotamål, the most severe penalty established defined in the Landsloven. The right to mint served not only as a royal prerogative but also as a means to legitimize the king’s authority and his role as a guarantor of a standardized Norwegian coinage. Thus, King Magnus utilized the right to mint as an instrument for the legal consolidation of the realm.