Clement XI's pontificate was defined almost entirely by conflict — theological and military. The year 1711 fell squarely within the War of the Spanish Succession, during which imperial troops under Joseph I occupied and plundered papal territories in retaliation for Clement's recognition of Philip V as Spain's legitimate king. The Pope found himself excommunicating the Emperor's commanders while simultaneously negotiating humiliating territorial concessions.
The grosso was among the smallest silver denominations of the papal monetary system, and surviving examples from this specific issue are catalogued under notably few collections. Berman 2423 places it within a tightly clustered group of Clement XI grossi distinguished by reverse type rather than die variation.
Clement XI's pontificate was defined almost entirely by conflict — theological and military. The year 1711 fell squarely within the War of the Spanish Succession, during which imperial troops under Joseph I occupied and plundered papal territories in retaliation for Clement's recognition of Philip V as Spain's legitimate king. The Pope found himself excommunicating the Emperor's commanders while simultaneously negotiating humiliating territorial concessions.
The grosso was among the smallest silver denominations of the papal monetary system, and surviving examples from this specific issue are catalogued under notably few collections. Berman 2423 places it within a tightly clustered group of Clement XI grossi distinguished by reverse type rather than die variation.