Overview

In Flashman On The March , (published 2005) George MacDonald Fraser opens with the words - Half a million in silver, did you say? In Maria Theresa dollars. Worth a hundred thou' in quids. He held up a gleaming coin, broad as a crown, with the old girl double-chinned on one side and the Austrian arms on t'other. Damn' disinheritin' old bitch, what? Mind, they say she was a plum in her youth, blonde and buxom, just your sort, Flashy... One of the most successful coins ever made, the Maria Theresa thaler (MTT) circulated for over two centuries and is still minted today, largely for collectors. Many historians consider it to be the first example of a truly international currency, like the US dollar or the Euro. It was used in the early United States, and is still found in souks across the Middle East. When Clara Semple was given a thaler by a Sudanese silversmith in Omdurman market, the heavy coin lying in the palm of her hand pricked her curiosity: I was tempted to muse on its individual travels and was inspired to embark on this story of a silver legend. About the The Empress: Maria Theresa inherited the Habsburg throne, the first woman to do so, aged 23 in 1740. Admired for her brilliant blue eyes and abundant golden curls, she was astute and formidable, ruling for 40 years over the Empire. A reformer, she laid the foundations of a modern state. Maria Theresa had 16 children, and was known as 'Europe's mother-in-law.' About the Coin: Large silver coins named Joachimsthalers after the silver mines in Bohemia - later abbreviated to thaler, daler or dollar - were first minted in the 16th century. The Maria Theresa thaler was first struck in 1741 and imperial state mints operated throughout Austrian territories. As the coin's importance grew it was also produced in Britain, France, Italy and India. It kept its value as a result of its high silver content, unlike other coins which were adulterated with dubious metal alloys. Its intricate details and fine engraving made it hard to counterfeit. After Maria Theresa's death in 1780 the coin continued to be struck since it was vital for trade. About Colonial Trade and Exploration: Europe's passion for coffee propelled the imperial thaler into the Levant, Arabia, and Africa. With the decay of Ottoman power and the ascendancy of European interests in the Middle East, the MTT filled a need and fast became the most acceptable currency for trade. Thalers circulated throughout the Red Sea region, the Horn of Africa, the Americas and as far east as China. Coveted by colonial officials, merchants, explorers and smugglers alike, they were used to collect taxes or buy slaves, and for ransoms or rewards. Hoarding the treasured silver coins was a widespread practice. Until recently, carrying bags of thalers was essential (albeit risky) for travellers journeying into the interior. Wilfred Thesiger wrote in Arabian Sands in 1954 - Maria Theresa dollars...are the only coins acceptable here; the Arabs call them riyals. About Jewellery and Fashion: Head-dresses with chains of thalers, chokers, necklaces, armbands, bracelets, anklets, rings, belts, brooches to attach to face veils or headscarves...Prized aesthetically for their remarkable lustre, thalers have been used by generations of craftsmen in the creation of traditional jewellery, also serving as a kind of portable bank since nomadic tribes wore their wealth while on the move, and indicating a woman's tribal or regional identity. This unique silver coin was a part of the dowry system; was used as a charm to ward off evil spirits; was believed to contain healing powers, and to aid fertility since Maria Theresa had borne 16 children. To this day, the thaler retains a special place in the making of jewellery and ornaments, and has inspired international couturiers such as John Galliano in their catwalk shows. Clara Semple draws on travellers' diaries, anecdotes from silversmiths and merchants, government papers, consular reports, mint and bank records. She reveals how this cosmopolitan silver coin financed military expeditions, colonial wars, bounty payments, and international diplomatic intrigues. Entertaining and superbly illustrated, A Silver Legend is an informative and compelling read. The economist John Maynard Keynes wrote in 1914 - 'The old-established House of Habsburg have turned out for a century and a half, as though it were Rowland's Macassar oil or a Bath Oliver biscuit, a thoroughly sound and reliable article, none genuine without the signature of the now long-sainted Mrs M. Therese'.

Full Product Details

9780954970109

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

Clara Semple has lived and travelled extensively in the Middle East since the 1960s, and worked as an archaeological artist in Egypt and the Sudan. Her interest in the Maria Theresa thaler grew out of her research into the traditional silver jewellery of Sudan. She lives in Oxford.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available