{{Short description|Coins used in Italy from 1551 to the 1800s}} [[File:Italy Papal States 1689-I Quadrupla Scudo d'Oro.jpg|thumb|Papal States, Quadruple Scudo d'Oro (1689) depicting Pope Alexander VIII (obv) and Saints Peter and Paul (rev)]] The '''''scudo''''' (pl. ''scudi'') was the name for a number of coins used in various states in the Italian peninsula from 1551 until the 19th century. The name, like that of the French écu and the Spanish and Portuguese escudo, was derived from the Latin ''scutum'' ("shield"). From the 16th century,<ref name= Klutz>Klütz: ''Münznamen...''</ref> the name was used in Italy for large silver coins. Sizes varied depending on the issuing country.
==History== {{see also|History of coins in Italy}} The first ''scudo d'argento'' (silver shield) was issued in 1551 by Charles V (1519–1556) in Milan.<ref name= Klutz/>
Under Maria Theresa and Joseph II the ''scudo d'argento'' had a weight of 23.10 g and a fineness of 896/1000.<ref>Montenegro: ''Manuale...''</ref>
In the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia (under the control of the Habsburg Austrian Empire), the Lombardy–Venetia scudo was equivalent to the Conventionsthaler and was subdivided into six ''lire''.
Before the Napoleonic Wars, the lira was subdivided into 20 ''soldi'', each of 12 ''denari''. Later, the lira was made up of 100 ''centesimi''.
When Austria-Hungary decimalized in 1857, the scudo was replaced by the ''florin'' at a rate of 2 florin = 1 scudo. Coins of {{frac|1|2}} and 1 soldo were issued, equal to {{frac|1|2}} and 1 kreuzer respectively, for use in Lombardy and Venetia.
In the Papal States, the Papal States scudo was the currency until 1866. It was divided into 100 ''baiocchi'' (sing. ''baiocco''), each of 5 ''quattrini''. It was replaced by the lira, equal to the Italian lira. thumb|right|220px|100 Scudi bond issued in the 19th century The Duchy of Modena and Reggio also issued scudi, worth four lire or one third of a ''tallero''.
In Malta under the Order of St John, the Maltese scudo circulated from the 16th century until the Order was expelled in 1798. The currency remained the official currency of Malta until 1825 and the last coins were removed from circulation in 1886. The Sovereign Military Order of Malta has issued coins denominated in scudi since 1961.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Microstates of Europe: Designer Nations in a Post-Modern World|author=P. Christiaan Klieger|page=59|date=21 July 2014|publisher=Lexington Books|ISBN=978-0739197967}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2018-10-04/business-news/The-700-year-minting-history-of-the-Order-of-Malta-6736197261|title=The 700-year minting history of the Order of Malta|website=The Malta Independent|date=4 October 2018|access-date=7 July 2020}}</ref>
==See also== *History of coins in Italy
==References== {{reflist}}
==Further reading== {{Portal|Money|Numismatics}} * Konrad Klütz. ''Münznamen und ihre Herkunft''. Vienna, moneytrend Verlag, 2004. {{ISBN|3-9501620-3-8}} * Eupremio Montenegro. ''Manuale del collezionista di monete italiane''. XI ed. 1996, Torino.
{{Escudo}} {{Historic Italian currency and coinage}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Italian Scudo}} Category:Coins of Italy Category:Obsolete Italian currencies Category:Escudo