Medieval Monday

[TheTrachyEnjoyer]

Here is my new addition, a follis of Tancred from Antioch. Thanks to @Valentinian for the purchase.

The legend is partially preserved: +Kε

 

This fun depiction of a noteworthy first crusade leader shows the fearsome norman night in chainmail armor brandishing a sword. Not all is western chivalry, however. Antioch and the East have their treasures and here Tancred displays a bejeweled turban, the a kingly display of the fruits of his levantine toils.

Tancred was one of the few crusade leaders who did not swear fealty to Byzantine emperor Alexius. Tancred was present at both the seige of Antioch and Jerusalem, the latter of which he claimed to be the first to storm the battlements. Lending his banner in protection to citizens seeking refuge during the slaughter, he also partook in the killing of muslims in the city.

Tancred was a great warrior who was given the princedom of Galilee after the reconquest of Jerusalem. He had multiple victories against outnumbered muslim foes and came to eventually control the princedom of Antioch, county of Edessa, and the fortress Krak des Chevaliers. Tancred would come to be a popular figure in the later middle ages and was seen as a chivalric knight. 

[John Conduitt]

I've added another jeton from the Plantagenet era. This is a counter made in England but imitating the rather more sophisticated jetons that were coming over from France.

These jetons were used to add up (like an abacus but on a counting board) when people were still using Roman numerals.

Edward III King Under Canopy Jeton, 14th Century

England. Copper, 24mm, 4.30g. King enthroned facing under canopy with pseudo legend. Fleur in quatrefoil with curved sides and fleurs at cusps with pseudo legend (Mernick Series 6b Obverse 3 Reverse 7). Found in Kent.

This is one of the French jetons.

King Under Canopy Jeton, 14th Century

France. Copper, 21mm, 1.67g. King with sceptre standing under canopy. Royal cross within quatrefoil.

[JeandAcre]

Wow, @John Conduitt, I had no idea the English were imitating these French jetons.  The only English ones as early as this (14th c.?) that I'd ever seen are the ones imitating New Coinage pennies.

Here's my best French one.  '+AVE M [/] ARIA' is easy enough to see on the obverse, but I've never been able to parse the four letters on the reverse.  ...Is there anything in the way of an online reference for these?

[Redaz]

[expat]

Recently received from our own @Sulla80 as a gift, my first Medieval period coin

Islamic AE Fals 21mm, 4.06g
Seljuqs of Rum, Kaykhusraw II b. Kayqubad. 1236-1245, Album 1220
Left image, the Kalima reads; "there is no god but / Allah; Muhammad / is the apostle of Allah"
Right image reads; "the sultan the very great / Kaykhusraw / bin Kayqubad"

Ghiyath al-Din Kaykhusraw ibn Kayqubād or Kaykhusraw II was the sultan of the Seljuqs of Rûm from 1237 until his death in 1246. He ruled at the time of the Babai uprising and the Mongol invasion of Anatolia. He led the Seljuq army with its Christian allies at the Battle of Köse Dağ in 1243.

Rapidly followed by my second,

JAIME I. (1213-1276 AD). Spanish States
Obverse: ARAGON., bust of King Jaime, crowned and draped, left.
Reverse: IACOBVS REX., cross of Caravaca.

1.09g. 18mm

[John Conduitt]

On 6/19/2023 at 8:00 PM, JeandAcre said:

Wow, @John Conduitt, I had no idea the English were imitating these French jetons.  The only English ones as early as this (14th c.?) that I'd ever seen are the ones imitating New Coinage pennies.

Here's my best French one.  '+AVE M [/] ARIA' is easy enough to see on the obverse, but I've never been able to parse the four letters on the reverse.  ...Is there anything in the way of an online reference for these?

I haven't found a reference for French jetons online. It seems Mitchener has written one (Jetons, Medalets & Tokens, Volume 1, 1988) but there must be a French reference.

The letters on yours are much like on all these jetons, something like A V E M/D/G. I have this jeton with A V E M, which I believe is again Ave Maria.

French Dauphin Jeton, 14-15th Century

Vienne, France. Leaping dolphin (badge of the Counts of Alban, Dauphins of Viennois); +LE NOBLE ET FIER PO (Noble and proud fish). Voided floriate cross; A V E M . Found Romney Marsh.

A V E G appears in this study of a find of jetons in Wiltshire, and every jeton seems to have similar letters on both sides loosely based on Ave Maria Gracia Plena. So perhaps it's simply that, sometimes abbreviated differently, sometimes blundered.

Edited July 17, 2023 by John Conduitt

[John Conduitt]

1 hour ago, expat said:

Recently received from our own @Sulla80 as a gift, my first Medieval period coin

Islamic AE Fals 21mm, 4.06g
Seljuqs of Rum, Kaykhusraw II b. Kayqubad. 1236-1245, Album 1220
Left image, the Kalima reads; "there is no god but / Allah; Muhammad / is the apostle of Allah"
Right image reads; "the sultan the very great / Kaykhusraw / bin Kayqubad"

Ghiyath al-Din Kaykhusraw ibn Kayqubād or Kaykhusraw II was the sultan of the Seljuqs of Rûm from 1237 until his death in 1246. He ruled at the time of the Babai uprising and the Mongol invasion of Anatolia. He led the Seljuq army with its Christian allies at the Battle of Köse Dağ in 1243.

Rapidly followed by my second,

JAIME I. (1213-1276 AD). Spanish States
Obverse: ARAGON., bust of King Jaime, crowned and draped, left.
Reverse: IACOBVS REX., cross of Caravaca.

1.09g. 18mm

A diverse start!

I have a Mongol coin from a similar time to your fals. It's quite a confusing period, with different empires invading each other, and striking coins under different rulers still. In 1243 (the Battle of Köse Dağ) they were ruled by Töregene, wife of Ögedei and regent for their son.

Golden Horde Dirham from the time of Ögedei Khan, 1227-1241

Eastern mint. Silver, 14mm, 3.18g. By the power of the Creator of the world. Citing Abbasid Caliph al-Mustansir (A 1978K). One of the first Islamic silver coins inscribed in Persian.

Edited July 17, 2023 by John Conduitt

[JeandAcre]

1 hour ago, Redaz said:

@Redaz, clockwise from top, yours are looking to be papal, Breton (duchy), and and French royal, with at least the French ones likely to be 14th century.  How close was that?  Cool assortment, regardless.

[JeandAcre]

52 minutes ago, John Conduitt said:

I haven't found a reference for French jetons online. It seems Mitchener has written one (Jetons, Medalets & Tokens, Volume 1, 1988) but there must be a French reference.

The letters on yours are much like on all these jetons, something like A V E M/D/G. I have this jeton with A V E M, which I believe is again Ave Maria.

French Dauphin Jeton, 14-15th Century

Vienne, France. Leaping dolphin (badge of the Counts of Alban, Dauphins of Viennois); +LE NOBLE ET FIER PO (Noble and proud fish). Voided floriate cross; A V E M . Found Romney Marsh.

A V E G appears in this study of a find of jetons in Wiltshire, and every jeton seems to have similar letters on both sides loosely based on Ave Maria Gracia Plena. So perhaps it's simply that, sometimes abbreviated differently, sometimes blundered.

Fantastic Dauphin jeton, @John Conduitt.  And many thanks for reporting on what there is for references --and that terrific article, which, just for my purposes, provides some valuable context.  Duly bookmarked, under 'Jetons.'

 

[TheRed]

I recently picked up a class 2b1 penny of Henry III from the mint at Lincoln.  It's my first penny of this class not from London or Canterbury.  

Most of the usually suspect mints issued pennies in class 2, though in much smaller numbers than London or Canterbury.    

[JeandAcre]

Wow, @TheRed  that's a brilliant example.  And it's an unqualified joy to see you here again!

 

[Nap]

Here is a penny of Eric of Pomerania.  Through the efforts of his great-aunt, Margaret, Eric (born Bogislaw but renamed to a more Scandinavian sounding Eric) became king of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, in a period known as the Kalamar Union.  An energetic ruler, he tried to institute control of trade in the Baltic Sea, which led to conflict with the powerful Hanseatic League as well as Nordic merchants, and Eric ended up deposed from the throne of all three countries.

The legend is that after losing his kingdoms, Eric became a pirate.  And he is sometimes called The Pirate King.

Sterling of Eric of Pomerania, king of Denmark (1396-1439), Norway (1389-1442), and Sweden (1396-1439)
Mint: Lund
Galster 9
O: ERICVS REX D N S
R: MOnETA LVnDEnSI

[John Conduitt]

10 hours ago, TheRed said:

I recently picked up a class 2b1 penny of Henry III from the mint at Lincoln.  It's my first penny of this class not from London or Canterbury.  

Most of the usually suspect mints issued pennies in class 2, though in much smaller numbers than London or Canterbury.    

Really nice. I would've bought that!

[Hrefn]

I recently won this Takvorin of Levon III , also called Leo III, from a Roma e-sale.   It is a bit outside my usual area of interest but I loved the medieval style of the lion.  On some of these, the lion is slightly more realistically rendered, whereas this lion looks like a medieval manuscript illustration.  In addition, he has claws;  others have paws ending in mere blobs.  The strikes on this coin are usually not very good.  I think this one is way above average.  

Levon III was king of Armenia in the first decade of the 1300’s.  The Armenian royal family was heavily entwined with the Lusignan family of Crusader fame.  By 1300, Armenia was a dependency of the Mongols.  From Wikipedia:  

“On November 17, 1307, Leo (III) and Hethum (Leo’s uncle) were murdered with their retinue at a banquet while visiting the Mongol general Bilarghu at Anazarbus. Bilarghu, a Mongol who had converted to Islam, had sought to build a mosque in the capital city of Sis, but Hethum had blocked the move as he wanted Armenia to be a completely Christian kingdom and complained to the leader of the Mongol Ilkhanate, Oljeitu. Bilarghu invited Hethum, Leo, and many other important Armenian nobles to a banquet at the castle of Anazarbus, presumably for discussions, but then his forces suddenly attacked and massacred the Armenians while they were having their meals and all of the Armenian nobles were killed along with Leo and his uncle Hethum II. Bilarghu was later executed by the Mongol ilkhan Oljeitu for his actions.”

 

 

[JeandAcre]

That's terrific, @Hrefn!  Regarding the lion, you really nailed it.

I've never ventured beyond Levon I and his son-in law and heir, Hethoum I.  Not only are their coins much commoner; they're generally better known, thanks to their more and less peripheral connections to the Crusades.  This is a recent upgrade of a wedding tram of Hethoum and Queen Zabel (/Elizabeth).  ...Hethoum's complete reign, 1226-1270, is a year-for-year match with Louis IX's, which I think is kind of cool.  Meanwhile, this is a textbook example of the much more stylized depictions of lions that you mentioned.

[Simon]

Any ideas? I am traveling and no access to my library. 

 

17/18 mm ; 5,16g

 

Edited September 11, 2023 by Simon

[seth77]

11 minutes ago, Simon said:

Any ideas?

 

17/18 mm ; 5,16g

 

It's probably Roger II d'Altavilla/Hauteville from the period just before Sicily became a Kingdom in 1130. The obverse is a bit weird but it's probably legit. Check it out: https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=10682483

 

[JeandAcre]

Brilliant call as usual, @seth77!

On a far more prosaic level, the nearest Byzantine precedent for the reverse (the motif goes back to the 8th century) is from the anonymous Class D folles, attributed to Constantine IX, 1042-1055.  Pictures of my example aren't forthcoming, but this one's also from acsearch.  ...Sorry if this will be obvious, but the interval from prototype to partial imitation is evocative enough of the former's circulation.  My guess would be that the negligable distance between the Byzantine heartland and the remainining possessions in southern Italy (whose economy was largely maritime to begin with) wouldn't have been a major factor.

  

https://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=3381361

[Sulla80]

On 6/19/2023 at 9:53 AM, TheTrachyEnjoyer said:

Here is my new addition, a follis of Tancred from Antioch. Thanks to @Valentinian for the purchase.

The legend is partially preserved: +Kε

 

This fun depiction of a noteworthy first crusade leader shows the fearsome norman night in chainmail armor brandishing a sword. Not all is western chivalry, however. Antioch and the East have their treasures and here Tancred displays a bejeweled turban, the a kingly display of the fruits of his levantine toils.

Tancred was one of the few crusade leaders who did not swear fealty to Byzantine emperor Alexius. Tancred was present at both the seige of Antioch and Jerusalem, the latter of which he claimed to be the first to storm the battlements. Lending his banner in protection to citizens seeking refuge during the slaughter, he also partook in the killing of muslims in the city.

Tancred was a great warrior who was given the princedom of Galilee after the reconquest of Jerusalem. He had multiple victories against outnumbered muslim foes and came to eventually control the princedom of Antioch, county of Edessa, and the fortress Krak des Chevaliers. Tancred would come to be a popular figure in the later middle ages and was seen as a chivalric knight. 

I enjoyed your writeup & coin, @TheTrachyEnjoyer - I just picked up this coin of Tancred which Leu describe as: "This is probably the earliest issue struck under Tancred, the Prince of Galilee, and it bears the image of Antioch's patron saint St. Peter, who was the first Patriarch of Antioch according to early Christian sources and the 9th century Liber Pontificalis."

CRUSADERS. Antioch. Tancred, regent, 1101-1112. Follis (Bronze, 23mm, 4.96g, 6h)

Obv: Nimbate bust of St. Peter facing, raising his right hand in benediction and holding cross in his left.

Rev: KЄBOI / ΘHTOΔV / ΛΟCOVT/ ANHPI ('Lord, help your servant Tancred' in Greek) in four lines; below, cross.

Edited October 17, 2023 by Sulla80

[ela126]

35 minutes ago, Sulla80 said:

I enjoyed your writeup & coin, @TheTrachyEnjoyer - I just picked up this coin of Tancred which Leu describe as: "This is probably the earliest issue struck under Tancred, the Prince of Galilee, and it bears the image of Antioch's patron saint St. Peter, who was the first Patriarch of Antioch according to early Christian sources and the 9th century Liber Pontificalis."

CRUSADERS. Antioch. Tancred, regent, 1101-1112. Follis (Bronze, 23mm, 4.96g, 6h)

Obv: Nimbate bust of St. Peter facing, raising his right hand in benediction and holding cross in his left.

Rev: KЄBOI / ΘHTOΔV / ΛΟCOVT/ ANHPI ('Lord, help your servant Tancred' in Greek) in four lines; below, cross.

A beautiful first type! @Sulla80

To split the difference between yours and @TheTrachyEnjoyer, here is my 2nd type , overstruck on a 1st type at a near perfect 6h on the obverse (unsure about reverse orientation).

Edited October 17, 2023 by ela126