Coinage from Knight Orders/ Grand Masters.....

[panzerman]

Be neat to start off a new topic about the coins struck by the different Knight Orders. The most famous/ Teutonic Order/ Knights of St. John/ Templars/ Hospitalers/ Crusader States.

I will start ball rolling with....

Knights Order of St. John Hospitalers/ Malta

[Ryro]

Here's my coin of the Order of orderlys 😉. Didn't they try to wipe out the Templars?

Knights of St. John of Malta (Hospitalers). Alois de Wignacourt, 1601-1622 AD. Æ 3 Piccioli. 3 with legend around / Arms. RS.49v. VF, green patina

[ChrisB]

Malta is probably my 2nd favorite country, as far as coinage goes.

 

 

 

 

 

[JeandAcre]

2 hours ago, Ryro said:

Here's my coin of the Order of orderlys 😉. Didn't they try to wipe out the Templars?

Knights of St. John of Malta (Hospitalers). Alois de Wignacourt, 1601-1622 AD. Æ 3 Piccioli. 3 with legend around / Arms. RS.49v. VF, green patina

Well, nope, but you're close.  It was Phillippe IV who wiped out the Knights Templar early in the 14th century. 

Thank you, leaving the Knights Hospitalers as the one of the two earliest crusading orders still on the ground.  ...Right, for that matter, on the sea.  They migrated to the island of Rhodes, then Malta.  Having withstood two epic maritime sieges (the second by the Ottomans), they remained a major naval force in that part of the Mediterranean, playing a key role in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, which effectively kept the Mediterranean from becoming an Ottoman lake. 

[ChrisB]

Does the Teutonic Order count?

 

[JeandAcre]

Heck Yes they do!  Except, they go back much later in the 12th century, around the time of the Third Crusade, in the 1190's.  It wasn't until the earlier 13th century that they migrated (comparably to the Hospitalers) to Prussia.  ...From memory, what's called for here are one or more of @Tejas's posts ...right, especially @Ocatarinetabellatchitchix's recent interview.

...Amazing array of heraldry!

[Ursus]

Alright – one of my favorite areas. I have a fair number of Teutonic Order coins. Here are some personal favorites:

Teutonic Order, anonymous issue, AR bracteate penny, ca. 1290–1410, unknown mint. Obv: shield of the Teutonic Order, three pellets above. Rev: negative design (bracteate). 14mm, 0.16g. Ref: Waschinski 80b; Eggert 12a.

Teutonic Order, anonymous issue, AR bracteate penny, ca. 1290–1410, unknown mint. Obv: Latin cross flanked by two saltires. Rev: negative design (bracteate). 15mm, 0.21g. Ref: Waschinski 158.

Teutonic Order, under Grand Master Winrich von Kniprode, AR shilling, 1351–1382, Thorn or Danzig mint (?). Obv: + MAGST WVNRICS PRIMS; eagle shield of the Grand Master. Rev: + MONETA DNORVM PRUCI; shield of the Teutonic Order. 21mm, 1.64g. Ref: Neumann 4.

Teutonic Order, under Grand Master Conrad V von Erlichshausen, AR schilling, 1441–1449, Thorn mint (?). Obv: + MAGST CORADVS QVIN; eagle shield of the Grand Master on long cross. Rev: + MONETA DNORVM PRUs; shield of the Teutonic Order on long cross. 20.5mm, 1.48g. Ref: Neumann 23.

The Livonian Order, an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order, is often forgotten. It minted coins, too:

Livonian Order, anonymous issue (under Cisso von Ruttenberg or Jan Freitag von Loringhofen?), AR artig, 14th/15th century, Reval mint. Obv: +MAGISTRI x LIVONIE, shield of the Order. Rev:  +MONETA x REVALIE; cross with three pellets in each quadrant. 18.5mm, 1.2g. Ref:  Neumann 204a; Haljak 6; Hutten-Czapski 4054.

Livonian Order, under Grand Master Wilhelm von Fürstenberg, AR schilling, 1557 AD, Reval mint. Obv: MONET REVALE 57; shield of the Order. Rev: MAGISTRI LIVONIE:; long cross. 18mm, 0.95g. Ref: Haljak II 142; Neumann 242.

The Knights Hospitaller minted a series of rather impressive large silver gigliati at Rhodes:

Knights Hospitaller (Order of St. John) at Rhodes, under Raymond Bérenger, AR Gigliato, 1365-1374. Obv: + F RAIMUNDVS BERENGERII D GRA M; Grand Master, wearing cloak with Maltese cross on shoulder, kneeling l. in prayer before patriarchal cross set on steps; arms of Raymond Bérenger to r. Rev: + OSPITAL ♣ S • IOhS • IRLNI : QTS • RODI •; cross fleury with arms of the Knights Hospitaller at the end of each arm. 28 mm, 3.64g. Ref: Metcalf 1208–1210; CCS 22.

 

[JeandAcre]

One fun thing about the Hospitaller Grand Masters is how their surnames demonstrate that they were often drawn from prominent French aristocratic families.  ...A bishop? well, why not; gives the family some extra local clout.  But what about a Grand Master instead?  Only more in character, after all, even with how many conspicuously militant bishops there were, especially over the 12th-14th centuries. 

...It took Francis, every Protestant's favorite Catholic saint (can I get a witness?), even to put a dent in that.  ...And, Yes, Protestants proceeded to replicate all of the worst precedent they were looking at.  ...Just, Never Mind.

Edited January 8 by JeandAcre

[Marsyas Mike]

Some very attractive coins.  Here's my Malta crown...

[panzerman]

Teutonic Order

AV Dukat ND (1612)

Hall Mint

Maximilian III 1595-1613 Archduke of Austria/ Grand Master Teutonic Order

[panzerman]

Crusader States/ Mytilene

 

[panzerman]

Rhodes/ Order of Knights of Saint John

AV Zecchino ND

Rhodes Mint

Fabrice del Carretto 1513-21 Grand Master

[lordmarcovan]

[Dafydd]

I don't have any Maltese coins or Knights Templar coins to share  but I will share a really good book I read many years ago the title of which is ;

The Great Siege Malta - 1565 by Ernie Bradford, a British historian. I can thoroughly recommend this book to anyone with even a passing interest of the Knights Templars.

 

Edited January 11 by Dafydd

[panzerman]

7 hours ago, lordmarcovan said:

That is outstanding!

[ChrisB]

14 hours ago, Dafydd said:

The Great Siege Malta - 1565 by Ernie Bradford, a British historian.

Excellent book. I read it some time ago but remember it being very readable and informative. 

[ominus1]

On 1/6/2024 at 7:05 PM, JeandAcre said:

Phillippe IV who wiped out the Knights Templar early in the 14th century.

..him with the pope  they owed them great amounts of wealth...the killer of Jacques DeMolay hell yes i got a coin of'em (plua he was father of Louis X )

[ominus1]

...AND..i have an Italian portrait coin of the  Order of the Golden Fleece of Charles (Carlos) V