The nineteenth century began unhappily in Europe. From 1793, a new wave of wars broke out. The French Revolution brought Emperor Napoleon to the head of state. The wars intensified.
Austria fought five coalition wars with France between 1793 and 1815. It lost the first four. Which was reflected in the Austrian economy and coinage.
Copper was used for small coins in Austria from the 18th century. Approximately up to a nominal value of 1 Kreutzer. Higher values were struck in relatively solid silver. But the war changed that.
12 kreutzers, 1795, diameter 26 mm, weight 4.68 g, silver purity 250/1000 (For the record, 75% of the "silver" coin is copper!).
6 kreutzers, 1795, diameter 21 mm, weight 2.34 g, silver purity 250/1000.
It is probably not worth mentioning the size and weight of the copper coins. I am only showing these copper coins.
In 1806, Emperor Napoleon destroyed the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation. Most of the population was indifferent. That same year, Austria declared bankruptcy. That already concerned most of the population. The last bankruptcy before that came in 1627 during the Thirty Years' War.
The old coins continued to circulate, but the face value of the copper coins decreased. In 1812, new copper coins appeared.
7 kreutzer, 1802, diameter 26 mm, weight 4.68, silver purity again 250/1000. (The new 7 kreutzer corresponds in size and weight to the old 12 kreutzer.)
I will not give the dimensions of the copper coins again. I'll just show the coins. The thirty kreutzer was called the "Shoemaker's Thaler".
After the wars ended, the old coins were very unpopular. In 1816, new coins were therefore introduced, which were valid until 1851. They were still minted with the same year.
For clarification. Krejcar 1816, diameter 27 mm, weight 8.75 g of copper .
Note that the coins no longer bear the image of the emperor, but the state emblem. The emperor did not want to be associated with economic hardship. He didn't want the unpopularity of copper coins to be transferred to his person. His portrait remained on the silver coins.
The rest of the 19th century was realistically quiet. Austria went through "only" one period of revolutions in 1848. Then it lost two wars (1859, 1866), and Austria even won one war in 1849. Furthermore Austria occupied and annexed one country (Bosnia-Herzegovina, the price was 1 wounded and several million gold coins for the Ottoman Sultan not to protest too much).
Central Europe was a great place to live between 1814 and 1914. Then the First World War started. After that, the 20th century didn't go well. I hope that the 21st century will be a period of peace again. But I guess that's what everyone always hoped.
I took a break for almost three weeks. I don't have any rational reason for it. I just didn't feel like writing. I didn't feel like it and I didn't have the ideas or inspiration.
I hope to write something else during Easter. But I'm not sure of myself. So I'd better wish all Silvergoldstackers a blessed and joyful Easter already.
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When I read about wars in this century I think, wars are that mechanism that governments use to move the economy, sad to say but real, it has been so effective that even today, in this century, they are still in force.
I wish you happy Easter
The reasons for wars are different. Sometimes what you wrote is true.
Blessed Easter.