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{{Short description|Currency of Russia and other countries in Eastern Europe}}
{{about|the currency used in various countries|the currency of Russia|Russian ruble|other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
[[File:5000 rubles obverse 2023.jpg|thumb|5,000 [[Russian ruble]]s of the 2023 series, the highest available nominal in circulation]]
[[File:500 Belarus 2009 front.jpg|thumb|500 [[Belarusian ruble]]s of the 2009 series, the highest available nominal in circulation]]
The '''ruble''' or '''rouble''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|r|uː|b|əl}}; {{lang-rus|рубль|p=rublʲ}}) is the [[currency]] unit of [[Belarus]] and [[Russia]]. Historically, it was the name of the currency of the [[Russian Empire]] (the Imperial ruble) and, later, of the [[Soviet Union]] (the [[Soviet ruble]]).
{{As of|2022}}, currencies named ''ruble'' in circulation include the [[Belarusian ruble]] (BYN, Rbl) in Belarus and the [[Russian ruble]] (RUB, ₽) in Russia.{{efn|Also used in the breakaway territories of [[Abkhazia]] and [[South Ossetia]] in [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], as well as parts of [[Ukraine]] under [[Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine|Russian occupation]].}} Additionally, the [[Transnistrian ruble]] is used in [[Transnistria]], an unrecognized breakaway province of [[Moldova]]. These currencies are subdivided into one hundred [[kopek]]s. No kopek is currently formally subdivided, although ''[[denga]]'' (½ kopek) and ''[[polushka]]'' (½ denga, thus ¼ kopek) were minted until the 19th century.
Historically, the [[grivna]], ruble and denga were used in Russia as measurements of weight. In 1704, as a result of monetary reforms by [[Peter the Great]], the ruble became the first [[Decimalisation|decimal currency]]. The silver ruble was used until 1897 and the gold ruble was used until 1917. The [[Soviet ruble]] officially replaced the imperial ruble in 1922 and continued to be used until 1993, when it was formally replaced with the Russian ruble in the [[Russian Federation]] and by other currencies in other [[post-Soviet states]].
In the past, several other countries influenced by Russia and the Soviet Union had currency units that were also named ''ruble'', including the [[Armenian ruble]], [[Latvian ruble]] and [[Tajikistani ruble]].
==Etymology==
===Origins===
According to one version, the word "ruble" is derived from the Russian verb рубить (''rubit''), "to cut, to chop, to hack", as a ruble was considered a cutout piece of a silver [[grivna]].
{{blockquote|Rubles were parts of the grivna or pieces of silver with notches indicating their weight. Each grivna was divided into four parts; the name "ruble" came from the word "cut" because the silver rod weighing 1 grivna was split into four parts, which were called rubles.<ref name="Kondrat">[http://www.rusarch.ru/kondratiev1.htm Кондратьев И. К. Седая старина Москвы. М., 1893.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807183228/http://rusarch.ru/kondratiev1.htm |date=7 August 2020 }}
In Russian:
Рубли были частями [[:ru:Гривна (денежная и весовая единица Древней Руси)|гривны]] или кусками серебра с зарубками, означавшими их вес. Каждая гривна разделялась на четыре части; название же рубль произошло от слова «рубить», потому что прут серебра в гривну весом разрубался на четыре части, которые и назывались рублями.</ref>}}
Others say the ruble was never part of a grivna but a synonym for it. This is attested in a 13th-century [[birch bark manuscript]] from [[Novgorod]], where both ruble and grivna referred to {{convert|204|g|ozt|abbr=off}} of silver.<ref name=RusMetr>{{cite book|last1=Kamentseva
|first1=E.|last2=Ustyugov|first2=N.|title=Russkaya metrologiya|script-title=ru:Русская метрология|date=1975|language=ru}}</ref> The casting of these pieces included some sort of cutting (the exact technology is unknown), hence the name from рубить (''rubit'').<ref name=Spas1970>{{cite book|last=Spassky|first=I. G.|title=Russkaya monetnaya sistema|script-title=ru:Русская монетная система|place=Leningrad|date=1970|language=ru}}</ref><ref>{{Vasmer|Рубль}}</ref>
Another version of the word's origin is that it comes from the Russian noun рубец (''rubets''), the seam that is left around a silver bullions after casting: silver was added to the cast in two steps. Therefore, the word "ruble" means "a cast with a seam".<ref name="halatov">Sergey Khalatov. [http://www.statesymbol.ru/currency/20050421/39595617.html History of Ruble and Kopek] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926220656/http://www.statesymbol.ru/currency/20050421/39595617.html |date=26 September 2007 }} on "Collectors' Portal UUU.RU" {{in lang|ru}}</ref> A popular theory deriving the word ruble from ''[[rupee]]'' is probably not correct.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://starling.rinet.ru/cgi-bin/response.cgi?root=%2Fusr%2Flocal%2Fshare%2Fstarling%2Fmorpho&morpho=1&basename=morpho%5Cvasmer%5Cvasmer&first=1&off=&text_word=%D0%A0%D1%83%D0%B1%D0%BB%D1%8C&method_word=substring&ic_word=on&text_general=&method_general=substring&ic_general=on&text_origin=&method_origin=substring&ic_origin=on&text_trubachev=&method_trubachev=substring&ic_trubachev=on&text_editorial=&method_editorial=substring&ic_editorial=on&text_pages=&method_pages=substring&ic_pages=on&text_any=&method_any=substring&sort=word&ic_any=on | title=Рубль | author=Vasmer, Max | website=[[Max Vasmer|Vasmer]] [[Etymological dictionary]] | access-date=29 July 2015 | archive-date=5 October 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005070523/http://starling.rinet.ru/cgi-bin/response.cgi?root=%2Fusr%2Flocal%2Fshare%2Fstarling%2Fmorpho&morpho=1&basename=morpho%5Cvasmer%5Cvasmer&first=1&off=&text_word=%D0%A0%D1%83%D0%B1%D0%BB%D1%8C&method_word=substring&ic_word=on&text_general=&method_general=substring&ic_general=on&text_origin=&method_origin=substring&ic_origin=on&text_trubachev=&method_trubachev=substring&ic_trubachev=on&text_editorial=&method_editorial=substring&ic_editorial=on&text_pages=&method_pages=substring&ic_pages=on&text_any=&method_any=substring&sort=word&ic_any=on | url-status=live }}</ref>
The ruble was the Russian equivalent of the [[mark (money)|mark]], a measurement of weight for silver and gold used in medieval Western Europe. The weight of one ''ruble'' was equal to the weight of one ''grivna''.
In Russian, a folk name for ruble, ''tselkovyj'' (целковый, {{IPA|ru|tsɨlˈkovɨj|IPA}}, wholesome), is known, which is a shortening of the целковый рубль ("tselkovyj ruble"), i.e., a wholesome, uncut ruble.{{Citation needed|date=December 2008}} This name persists in the [[Mordvin language|Mordvin]] word for ruble, ''целковой''.
Since the monetary reform of 1534, one Russian accounting ruble became equivalent to 100 silver Novgorod ''[[denga]]'' coins or smaller 200 Muscovite denga coins or even smaller 400 ''polushka'' coins. Exactly the former coin with a rider on it soon became colloquially known as ''kopek'' and was the higher coin until the beginning of the 18th century. Ruble coins as such did not exist till Peter the Great, when in 1704 he reformed the old monetary system and ordered mintage of a {{cvt|28|g|ozt}} silver ruble coin equivalent to 100 new copper kopek coins. Apart from one ruble and one kopek coins other smaller and greater coins existed as well.
===English spelling===
<!-- This section is linked from [[Russian ruble]] -->
[[File:Russian rubles.jpg|thumbnail|Russian rubles – banknotes of 1,000 and 5,000 rubles.]]
Both the spellings ''ruble'' and ''rouble'' are used in English, depending on the author's native dialect. The earliest use recorded in English is the now completely obsolete ''robble''. The form ''rouble'' is preferred by the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' and probably derives from the transliteration into French used among the [[Tsarist]] [[aristocracy]]. It may have been retained in English to avoid confusion with "rubble". In general, American, and some Canadian, authors tend to use "ruble" while other English-speaking authors use "rouble". In American English there is a tendency for older sources to use ''rouble'' and more recent ones to use ''ruble''. However, usage is not consistent and major publications are known to use both (though usually preferring one or the other).
The Russian [[plural]]s that may be seen on the actual currency are modified according to [[Russian grammar]]. Numbers ending in 1 (except for 11) are followed by [[nominative]] singular рубль ''rubl'', копейка ''kopeyka''. Numbers ending in 2, 3 or 4 (except for 12–14) are followed by [[genitive]] singular рубля ''rublya'', копейки ''kopeyki''. Numbers ending in 5–9, 0, or 11–14 are followed by genitive plural рублей ''rubley'', копеек ''kopeyek''.
===Other languages===
{{See also|Soviet ruble}}
In several languages spoken in Russia and the former Soviet Union, the currency name has no etymological relation with ''ruble''. Especially in [[Turkic languages]] or languages influenced by them, the ruble is often known (also officially) as ''som'' or ''sum'' (meaning ''pure''), or ''manat'' (from Russian ''moneta'', meaning ''coin''). Soviet banknotes had their value printed in the [[Languages of the Soviet Union|languages]] of all [[Soviet republics|15 republics]] of the Soviet Union.
==History==
===Imperial ruble===
[[File:Russian Empire 1912 500 rub Obverse.jpg|thumb|Five hundred ruble note featuring [[Peter the Great]] and a [[personification]] of [[Mother Russia]], 1912]]
[[File:Russian Empire-1898-Bill-1-Reverse.jpg|thumb|1898 [[Russian Empire]] one ruble note, obverse, stating its gold equivalence 17.424 dolya or 0.77424 gram.]]
From the 14th to the 17th centuries the ruble was neither a coin nor a currency but rather a unit of weight. The most used currency was a small silver coin called ''denga'' (pl. ''dengi''). There were two variants of the denga, minted in [[Veliki Novgorod|Novgorod]] and Moscow. The weight of a denga silver coin was unstable and inflating, but by 1535, one Novgorod denga weighed {{cvt|0.68|g|ozt}}, the Moscow denga being a half that of the Novgorod denga. Thus one ''account ruble'' consisted of 100 Novgorod or 200 Moscow dengi ({{cvt|68|g|ozt}} of silver). As the Novgorod denga bore the image of a rider with a spear ({{langx|ru|копьё, kop’yo}}), it later has become known as ''kopek''. In the 17th century, the weight of a kopek coin reduced to {{convert|0.48|g|ozt|abbr=on}}, thus one ruble was equal to {{convert|48|g|ozt|abbr=on}} of silver.<ref name=RusMetr/><ref name=Spas1970/>
In 1654–1655 tsar [[Alexis I]] tried to carry out a monetary reform and ordered the mintage of silver one ruble coins from imported [[joachimsthaler]]s and new kopek coins from copper (old silver kopeks were left in circulation). Although around 1 million of such rubles was made, its lower weight (28–32 grams) against the nominal ruble (48 g) led to counterfeiting, speculation and inflation, and after the [[Copper Riot]] of 1662 the new monetary system was abandoned in favour of the old one.<ref name=RusMetr/><ref name=Spas1970/>
====Russian Empire====
In 1704 [[Peter the Great]] finally reformed the old Russian monetary system, minting a silver ruble coin of weight {{cvt|28.1|g|ozt}} and 72% fineness; hence 20.22 g fine silver.{{efn|Gross weight 433 grains, net weight 312.1 grains, hence fineness 72%.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Universal Cambist and Commercial Instructor, Being a Full and Accurate Treatise on the Exchanges, Monies, Weights and Measures of All Trading Nations and Their Colonies |first=Patrick |last=Kelly |year=1821 |url=https://archive.org/details/b22012060_0001/page/299/mode/1up }}</ref>{{failed verification|date=December 2022}} Source does not give 1704 Ukase anywhere in the book?}} The decision to subdivide it primarily into 100 copper kopeks, rather than 200 Muscovite denga, made the Russian ruble the world's first decimal currency.<ref name=RusMetr/>
The amount of silver in a ruble varied in the 18th century. Additionally, coins worth over a ruble were minted in gold and [[platinum]]. By the end of the 18th century, the ruble was set to 4 ''[[zolotnik]]'' 21 ''dolya'' (or 4{{frac|21|96}} ''zolotnik'', almost exactly equal to 18&nbsp;grams) of pure silver or 27 ''dolya'' (almost exactly equal to {{cvt|1.2|g|ozt}}) of pure gold, with a ratio of 15:1 for the values of the two metals. In 1828, platinum coins were introduced with 1 ruble equal to 77{{frac|2|3}} ''dolya'' (3.451&nbsp;grams).
On 17 December 1885, a new standard was adopted which did not change the silver ruble but reduced the gold content to 1.161&nbsp;grams, pegging the gold ruble to the [[French franc]] at a rate of 1 ruble = 4 francs. This rate was revised in 1897 to 1 ruble = 2{{frac|2|3}} francs (17.424 ''dolya'' or 0.77424 g fine gold). This ruble was worth about US$0.5145 in 1914.<ref>based on ratio of gold content between ruble 0.77424 g vs [[United States dollar]] 23.22 grains = 1.50463 g</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cyberussr.com/hcunn/gold-std.html |title=Gold and Silver Standards |publisher=Cyberussr.com |access-date=2015-08-30 |archive-date=18 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140818064041/http://www.cyberussr.com/hcunn/gold-std.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dollartimes.com/inflation/inflation.php?amount=100000&year=1914 |title=Calculate the value of $100000 in 1914 – Inflation on 100000 dollars |publisher=DollarTimes.com |access-date=2015-08-30 |archive-date=31 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170331032042/http://www.dollartimes.com/inflation/inflation.php?amount=100000&year=1914 |url-status=live }}</ref>
With the outbreak of [[World War I]], the [[gold standard]] peg was dropped and the ruble fell in value, suffering from [[hyperinflation]] in the early 1920s. With the founding of the Soviet Union in 1922, the Russian ruble was replaced by the Soviet ruble. The pre-revolutionary [[Chervonets|Chervonetz]] was temporarily brought back into circulation from 1922 to 1925.<ref>''La Crise de la Monnaie Anglaise'' (1931), Catiforis S.J. Recueil Sirey, 1934, Paris</ref>
====Russia's coins====
[[File:Russia 1771 Sestroretsk Rouble.jpg|thumb|275px|Catherine II Sestroretsk ruble (1771) is made of solid copper with a diameter of {{convert|77|mm|in|frac=100}} and a thickness of {{convert|26|mm|in|frac=100}} with a weight of {{convert|1.022|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. It is the largest copper coin ever issued (except for the Swedish [[Swedish riksdaler#Penning accounting system|plate money]]).<ref>{{Citation| title = Catherine II. Novodel Sestroretsk Rouble 1771| publisher = Heritage Auctions| url = http://coins.ha.com/itm/russia/russia-catherine-ii-novodel-sestroretsk-rouble-1771-romanov-eagle-with-date-on-breast-within-wreath-crown-over-value-in-two-line/a/410-14564.s?type=| access-date = 1 September 2015| archive-date = 22 April 2016| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160422100207/http://coins.ha.com/itm/russia/russia-catherine-ii-novodel-sestroretsk-rouble-1771-romanov-eagle-with-date-on-breast-within-wreath-crown-over-value-in-two-line/a/410-14564.s?type=| url-status = live}}</ref> It is 1mm larger and thicker than a standard [[hockey puck]].]]
By the beginning of the 19th century, copper coins were issued for {{frac|4}}, {{frac|2}}, 1, 2 and 5 kopeks, with silver 5, 10, 25 and 50 kopeks and 1 ruble and gold 5, although production of the 10 ruble coin ceased in 1806.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}} Silver 20 kopeks were introduced in 1820, followed by copper 10 kopeks minted between 1830 and 1839, and copper 3 kopeks introduced in 1840.
Between 1828 and 1845, platinum 3, 6 and 12 rubles were issued. In 1860, silver 15 kopeks were introduced, due to the use of this denomination (equal to 1 [[Polish złoty|złoty]]) in Poland, whilst, in 1869, gold 3 rubles were introduced.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pjsymes.com.au/articles/three.htm |title=Currency of Three |author=Peter Symes |publisher=Pjsymes.com.au |access-date=2015-08-30 |archive-date=24 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924073808/http://www.pjsymes.com.au/articles/three.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 1886, a new gold coinage was introduced consisting of 5 and 10 ruble coins. This was followed by another, in 1897. In addition to smaller 5 and 10 ruble coins, {{frac|7|1|2}} and 15 ruble coins were issued for a single year, as these were equal in size to the previous 5 and 10 ruble coins. The gold coinage was suspended in 1911, with the other denominations produced until the First World War.
====Constantine ruble====
The [[Constantine ruble]] (Russian: {{lang|ru|константиновский рубль}}, {{lang|ru-Latn|konstantinovsky rubl'}}) is a rare silver coin of the [[Russian Empire]] bearing the profile of [[Grand Duke Constantine Pavlovich of Russia|Constantine]], the brother of emperors [[Alexander I of Russia|Alexander I]] and [[Nicholas I of Russia|Nicholas I]]. Its manufacture was being prepared at the [[Saint Petersburg Mint]] during the brief [[Russian interregnum of 1825|Interregnum of 1825]], but it was never minted in numbers, and never circulated in public. Its existence became known in 1857 in foreign publications.<ref>By 1880 Russian numismatists were well aware of the existence of Constantine rubles, but their first printed description was published only in 1886 – Kalinin, [http://www.arcamax.ru/books/const/kalin01.htm p.1] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130727160938/http://www.arcamax.ru/books/const/kalin01.htm |date=27 July 2013 }}.</ref>
====Banknotes====
=====Imperial issues=====
[[File:25 rublej 1769 goda..jpg|thumb|25 Assignation rubles of 1769]]
[[File:Russian Empire-1898-Bill-1-Obverse.jpg|thumb|1898 [[Russian Empire]] one ruble banknote, reverse]]
In 1768, during the reign of [[Catherine the Great]], the [[Russian Assignation Bank]] was instituted to issue the government paper money. It opened in [[Saint Petersburg]] and in Moscow in 1769.
In 1769, [[Assignation ruble]]s were introduced for 25, 50, 75 and 100 rubles, with 5 and 10 rubles added in 1787 and 200 rubles in 1819. The value of the Assignation rubles fell relative to the coins until, in 1839, the relationship was fixed at 1 silver ruble = {{frac|3|1|2}} assignat rubles. In 1840, the State Commercial Bank issued 3, 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 ruble notes, followed by 50 ruble credit notes of the Custody Treasury and State Loan Bank.
In 1843, the Assignation Bank ceased operations, and ''state credit notes'' (Russian: {{lang|ru|государственные кредитные билеты}}, {{lang|ru-Latn|gosudarstvenniye kreditniye bilety}}) were introduced in denominations of 1, 3, 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 rubles. In 1859 a paper credit ruble was worth about nine-tenths of a silver ruble<ref>[[Jerome Blum]], The End of the Old Order in Rural Europe, 1978, p169</ref> These circulated, in various types, until the revolution, with 500 ruble notes added in 1898 and 250 and 1,000 ruble notes added in 1917. In 1915, two kinds of small change notes were issued. One, issued by the Treasury, consisted of regular style (if small) notes for 1, 2, 3, 5 and 50 kopeks. The other consisted of the designs of stamps printed onto card with text and the imperial eagle printed on the reverse. These were in denominations of 1, 2, 3, 10, 15 and 20 kopeks.
=====Provisional Government issues=====
In 1917, the [[Russian Provisional Government|Provisional Government]] issued treasury notes for 20 and 40 rubles. These notes are known as "[[Kerenka|Kerenki]]" or "[[Alexander Kerensky|Kerensky]] rubles". The provisional government also had 25 and 1,000 ruble state credit notes printed in the United States but most were not issued.
===Soviet ruble===
{{Main|Soviet ruble}}
In 1917, the Russian ruble was replaced by the [[Soviet ruble]] ([[ISO 4217]] code: SUR) which, issued by the [[Gosbank|State Bank of the USSR]], remained the sole currency of the Soviet Union, until [[breakup of the Soviet Union|its breakup]] in 1991. Afterwards, it continued to be used in the 15 [[Post-Soviet states]] until it was replaced by new national currencies:
* until 1992 in Russia (replaced by [[Russian ruble]]),
* Ukraine (replaced by [[Ukrainian karbovanets]]),
* Estonia (replaced by [[Estonian kroon]]),
* Latvia (replaced by [[Latvian ruble]]),
* Lithuania (replaced by [[Lithuanian talonas]]);
* until 1993 in Belarus (replaced by [[Belarusian ruble]]),
* Georgia (replaced by [[Georgian lari]]),
* Armenia (replaced by [[Armenian dram]]),
* Kazakhstan (replaced by [[Kazakhstani tenge]]),
* Kyrgyzstan (replaced by [[Kyrgyzstani som]]),
* Moldova (replaced by [[Moldovan cupon]]),
* Turkmenistan (replaced by [[Turkmenistani manat]]),
* Uzbekistan (replaced by [[Uzbekistani sum]]);
* until 1994 in Azerbaijan (replaced by [[Azerbaijani manat]]); and
* until 1995 in Tajikistan (replaced by [[Tajikistani ruble]]).
Since 2000, the [[Russian ruble]] (code: RUB) and the [[Belarusian ruble]] (code: BYN) have been the only ruble currencies in circulation that have been issued by internationally recognized countries.
== Symbol ==
{{Main|Ruble sign}}
The ruble sign “'''₽'''” is a [[currency sign]] used to represent the [[monetary unit]] of account in Russia. It features a [[Cyrillic letter]] [[Er (Cyrillic)|Р]] (transliterated as "Er" in the [[Latin alphabet]]) with an additional horizontal stroke.
The Unicode [[CJK Compatibility]] block contains {{unichar|3354}}, a square version of {{lang|ja|ルーブル}} ({{transl|ja|rūburu}}), the Japanese word for "ruble".
==See also==
* [[Ruble (disambiguation)]] for a more comprehensive directory of past and present currencies called ruble or rouble.
* {{Portal inline|Numismatics}}
* {{Portal inline|Money}}
== Explanatory notes ==
{{notelist}}
==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
==External links==
{{Wiktionary|ruble|rouble}}
* {{cite web |url= http://www.historicalstatistics.org/Currencyconverter.html |title= Historical Currency Converter |first= Rodney |last= Edvinsson |department= Economic history |website= Historical Statistics |location= Stockholm University |date= Jan 10, 2016 }} <!-- |author-link= http://www.swedishcollegium.se/subfolders/Fellows/Profutura/Rodney_Edvinsson.html -->
{{Ruble}}
[[Category:Currencies of Russia]]
[[Category:Denominations (currency)]]
[[Category:Modern obsolete currencies]]
[[Category:Numismatics]]