“There are two fundamental causes of madness amongst students: sexual frustration and the study of coinage.” - - an old Austrian proverb.
Consider the latter and not the former. Study of coinage.
As excerpted from the book: "The Thirty Years War" by Langer.
"It was subsequently estimated that the estates confiscated from the dead 'traitors' Wallenstein, Trčka, Kinsky and Illo were worth nearly 15 million florins."
THAT COMBINED VALUE OF ASSETS THOSE MOST SENIOR MILITARY COMMANDERS AS LOYAL TO AND IN THE SERVICE OF THE EMPEROR OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE DURING THE THIRTY YEARS WAR.
Assets the value of which consisting primarily of landed estates and the yearly production as a result of peasant labor.
Fifteen million florin the value of which is how much today?
* Considering the debased value of a florin [analogous to the Dutch guilder of the same period] merely in gold content alone by current market price around $2 billion USD. A tidy sum.
"Guilder has often been interchangeable with florin (currency sign ƒ. or ƒl.)"
"By 1626, the alloy [of a florin] had been slightly reduced again (to 77% gold), while the weight was more substantially reduced (to 3.240 grams)."
* Additional calculations suggest the combined asset values of Wallenstein and compatriots to vary anywhere from $500 million USD to $1.5 billion USD! Again, a tidy sum no matter how the figures obtained!
Be assured in all cases Wallenstein [from a family of minor nobility but relatively poor] and his immediate subordinates did become very wealthy during the Thirty Year War, the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire generous and rewarding those loyal military men for dutiful and successful service to the crown!!
"Generous and rewarding" albeit Wallenstein and his immediate subordinates eventually meeting a bitter demise each and everyone a victim of assassination!
Devoted readers to the blog as usual feel free to comment on this topic. To be honest the subject matter of currency exchange and valuation fraught with great difficulty for any individual. Myself included.
coolbert.