Manfredi ruled Sicily as an illegitimate son of Frederick II, governing first as regent before seizing the crown outright in 1258 following rumors — possibly fabricated — that his nephew Conradin had died. His reign ended at Benevento in 1266, where Charles of Anjou's French forces killed him in battle. Pope Clement IV refused Manfredi Christian burial. The billon denaro belongs to a coinage politically charged from the moment of its issue, struck by a king the papacy never recognized.
Manfredi ruled Sicily as an illegitimate son of Frederick II, governing first as regent before seizing the crown outright in 1258 following rumors — possibly fabricated — that his nephew Conradin had died. His reign ended at Benevento in 1266, where Charles of Anjou's French forces killed him in battle. Pope Clement IV refused Manfredi Christian burial. The billon denaro belongs to a coinage politically charged from the moment of its issue, struck by a king the papacy never recognized.