1/2 Bolognino - Gregory XV

Gregory XV's pontificate lasted just over two years — long enough to canonize Ignatius of Loyola and establish the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, but short enough that his coinage issues are tightly bounded. The Ferrara mint operated under papal authority following the 1598 devolution of the Este duchy to the Holy See, a territorial acquisition achieved through inheritance law rather than conquest when Cesare d'Este died without legitimate male heirs.

The multiple CNI references suggest die variation between recorded specimens, a common complication with Ferrarese copper of this period.