ovingian predecessor in the Frankish kingdom, only the terminology, not the content, of Roman currency remained in Western Europe. To the degree gold coinage did persist in Europe, it appears to have been confined to international trade on one hand, or to have been minted privately by land owners. This is summarized by Heer:
Coined money (in the Merovingian period] circulated more widely than it was to do under Charlemagne. There is some evidence, though it is not conclusive, that the king's staff were paid in coin, and the Merovingians were certainly still able to pay out quite large sums form their treasury; the abbey of St Denis received an annual grant at one stage of two hundred solidi in gold, which would have been unthinkable under Charlemagne. Money continued to be struck--there was a mint in operation at Reims from at least the beginning of the sixth century--but there are significant differences between Merovingian and Roman currency . . . The coinage steadily declined in gold content, and with it sank the reputation of the currency. Many
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