1/2 Groat - Alfonso II

Alfonso II of Catalonia — known as "the Liberal" — came to power immediately embroiled in the War of the Vespers, the conflict triggered by the Sicilian uprising against Angevin rule in 1282 that drew the Crown of Aragon into direct confrontation with both France and the Papacy. His coinage was struck under a reign defined by external military pressure and a series of forced concessions, most notably the Capitulation of Anjou and the Treaty of Tarascon in 1291, the year his reign ended with his death at twenty-six.