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1 Ort - Ioan Iacob Heraclid
| Issuer | Moldavia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1563 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | MBR#798 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | PRINCIPIS ? MOLDAVIAE (Translation: Prince of Moldavia.) |
| Reverse description | Central shield bearing the Moldavian auroch's head in profile, with a five-pointed star between the horns, a rosette to the left, and a crescent to the right. These heraldic elements constitute the traditional arms of Moldavia. The design is enclosed within a circular Latin legend and a dotted border. |
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| Additional information |
Ioan Iacob Heraclid — known as Despot Vodă — was a Greek adventurer from Samos who seized the Moldavian throne in 1561 through a mercenary campaign financed by Protestant German princes and backed by a forged genealogy claiming descent from the Byzantine Despotate. His coinage, strikingly Western in style for Moldavia, reflects his broader project of reorienting the principality toward Protestant Europe and away from Ottoman suzerainty. The experiment collapsed in 1563 when a boyar revolt led by Ștefan Tomșa ended with Heraclid's murder — making this ort one of the few tangible artifacts of a reign that lasted barely two years.