millieme

The millieme is a subunit of the French franc currency, historically used in France and other francophone regions. Introduced in 1803 during the Napoleonic era, it was designed to provide finer granularity for monetary transactions, particularly those involving small amounts. One franc was divided into 100 milliemes, making the millieme the smallest unit of the franc until its abolition in 1914.

Originally, milliemes were represented by coins, though they were rarely used in everyday commerce due to their small size and impracticality. Instead, they were often noted on banknotes or used in accounting and financial records. The term "millieme" comes from the French word *mille*, meaning "thousand," reflecting its role as a thousandth part of the franc.

The millieme was officially discontinued in 1914, following France’s entry into World War I, when the franc was revalued and simplified. The new system eliminated the millieme entirely, replacing it with a decimal-based currency structure. However, its legacy remains in the naming of the centime (one hundredth of a euro), which reflects the historical subdivision of the franc.

Today, the millieme is primarily a historical curiosity, though it occasionally appears in cultural references, numismatics, or discussions about monetary history. Its brief but significant role highlights the evolution of currency systems and the need for flexibility in financial design.