1453
Ladislas V of Hungary

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1453 was a seminal year in European history. In the West the Hundred Years War effectively came to an end after the Battle of Castillon, although no one was obviously aware of it at the time. This allowed the French to turn their attention to the serious business of nation building, and the pursuit of their interests in Italy and the Eastern part of their sphere of influence. Also in 1453 Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks. Mehmet II was successful in the long siege of Constantinople. The end of the short and tumultuous reign of Constantine XI also brought down the curtain on the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine empire was a shadow of its self at the time of the final fall, so the impact was more psychological than real in a geopolitical sense, but still a significant event in European history. Europe did not end the Turkish threat until the 17th century. To get a visual feel for the magnitude to the political transformation that occurred over these years, take a look at two maps of Europe from the centuries bracketing the 15th.

This page gathers together a series of coins, with links and brief historical notes, of  the major players on the European stage in 1453. The anchors are Henry VI and Charles VII in the West and Mehmet II and Constantine XI in the East. Other coins represent territories in between these centers of epochal events.

Blanc aux Couronne 27mm.  Description from (and identification based on) the CGB web catalogue, France IV, Fall 1999, # 58. Blanc à la couronne, 26/06/1456, Saint-Lô, point 19e au droit et au revers, 4e ém, (Bill, 2,57 g ), (pd. th. 3,022 g, ).  Obv:  + KARO[LVS*] FRANCORVm* REX*, (ponctuation par simple molette à 5 pointes). Écu de France entre trois couronnelles, dans un double trilobe.  Rev:  + SIT* nOmE[N]* DnI* BEnEDICTVm, (ponctuation par simple molette à 5 pointes). Croix cantonnée aux 1 et 4 d'une couronnelle, aux 2 et 3 d'un lis, dans un double quadrilobe. C.688 - Mar.1651 - L.514c - Dy.519C - Dieudonné 1606-1607. Click on these (English language) sites for a fuller look at the Hundred Year War or its Endgame.

Calais Groat 1427-30 rosette/mascle, 26mm. Obv: HENRIC DI GRA REX ANGL Z FRANC, crowned central portrait. Rev inner circle: VILLA CALISIE, outer circle:   POSVI DEVM ADJUTOREM MEVM (I have made God my helper), long cross. Mint is Calais. S:1859, C:H64D-040/45. Sharing the exact same years in his French reign was Charles VII. Henry was born in England in 1421 and became king of England in 1422. When Charles VI of France died in 1422, Henry, by the terms of the Treaty of Troyes, succeeded him as king of France. He was so crowned in Notre Dame in 1431. He was deposed in England by Edward IV in 1461, re-instated in 1470, and deposed again in 1471. He married Margaret of Anjou and they had one son. He died (was murdered?) in the Tower in 1471.

AR akchek, AH 880 (the year), mint is Konstantinia, 11mm. Obv: MEHMET BIN MURAD KHAN. Rev: KHALLAD MULKAHU  (God preserve the kingdom), ZARB FI QUSTANTINIYAK (was struck in Constantinople) 880. Mitchener W1 1246, Stephen Album, "A Checklist of Islamic Coins," 1308.4 (8). Description, with thanks, from Alexander Basok and David Tranbarger.

From Doug Smith: "The latest easily obtainable Byzantine coin is this silver hyperpyron of John VIII (1423-1448 AD). Christ is shown in the standard pose with halo and book but the style has become extremely formal being rendered in as few as possible lines. The legend IC XC (first and last letters of Jesus Christ in Greek) flanks the bust. The bust of the Emperor on the reverse is surrounded by a double ring of legend. Specimens showing the entire legend clearly struck are quite scarce. Our example is a bit above average in this regard and, at least, shows the name IWAN at 1 o'clock on the outer ring. Following John's death, his brother Constantine XI became the last Byzantine Emperor. The very rare coins of Constantine are very similar but even more crude than this. Finding one with legible KWNCT in place of IWAN would be a great stroke of luck." Harlan Berk provides a breif history of Constantine XI and commentary on his coinage.

AR double gros vierlander, 28mm. Obv: PHS:DEI:GRA:DVX:BVRG:Z:COMES:FLAND, central shield, 1 and 3 full quarters, 2 and 4 split quarters. Rev: +MONETA:NOVA:COMITIS:FLAND, ornate cross with lis in center, lis and lions in opposite quadrants. R7981, Boudeau 2263.

AR 1/2 Gros, 21mm, 1.135gr. Obv: RENATI.DVX.BARREN.Z.OTH.M, central small shield with insignia in the four quadrants. Rev: MONETA MICHAL, central sword bracketed by design. Mint is St. Mikiel. R9425; Boud 1492 (matching description of gros 1490); not in PdA.

Billon blanca. Obv: IOHANES:DEI:GRACIA:REX, central castle in six foil. Rev: IOHANES:DEI:GRACIA:REX, lion in six foil. Mint: Sevilla. Seller id C&C 511.

Copper. Obv: DORINUS:__I_AD, central castle with three towers. Rev: __PORTUGAL__, central shield with coat of arms. Mint: Lisbon? Seller id Vaz A5 102v obv, 94-8 rev.

Shilling, ND, Knights of Livonia, 20 mm. Obv: ___________, Rev: ____________, Haljak 20 (125); John Davenport "East Baltic Regional Coinage," 2; Hutten Czapski, E., "Catalogue de la Collection des Medailles et Monnaies Polonaises 6378 (R3), Fedorin, "Coins of the Baltic Region," 179. Reval is the current city of Tallinn, capital of Estonia. Description from Alexander Basok.

Billon denero, .72g. Obv: _______, central eagle. Rev: ______ cross on shield of arms. Seller id Biaggi 1349.

AU, 21mm, 3.52gr. Obv: RVS.REX_.S.LADIS_, central figure. Rev from top: LADISLAVS DORVNORIE, central shield

AU ducat, 20mm, 3.58grm. Obv: FRAC.FOSCARI SMVENITI, central St. Mark and Doge. Rev: .SIT.TVPC.DAT.Q.TV.REGIS ISTE.DVCA, central St. Mark. Mint is Venice. Biaggi 2872; Paolucci: ducat, 3.56gr., common, p40.

AR kreuzer, 18mm. Obv: SIGISMUND __, central double cross. Rev: +TIROL__ central eagle.

Gros d'argent,  25mm, 3,64g. (This crusader coin image from ebay 2005)

Groschen, 27mm, 2.65gr. Obv: +LVDOVICS DEI GRATIA __, central design. Rev: GROSSV ___ GRAVL __ SS _,  central shield. Mint is Hesse Cassel,  Kronichter Groschen. Seller id s/s 1099. No personal references.

AR 1/2 groschen, 19mm. Obv: +MONETA KA3IMIRI, central eagle. Rev: REGISx*POLOnIE, central crown.

ND, denga: Obv: Horseman to r., spearing a dragon, dog near horse's legs, K to the horseman's left and a pearl to the r., Rev: Two figures facing each other, holding l. and r. hands, circular legend between 2 linear circles, typical weakly struck center, VF Sp. 59-8, Or 759, pl XIII-612. Image courtesy of Alexander Basok.

ND, denga. Obv: Galloping horseman with raised saber to the l., 4-legged animal beneath, tamga behind, 6 dots in front, dotted circle around , Rev: 4 line legend all within a dotted circle, VF+ Sp 59-14, Or 779, pl XIII-633.  Image courtesy of Alexander Basok.

 ND, pfennig. Davenport, J., 164;  Haljak 300(27), Fedorin 16. Image courtesy of Alexander Basok.