1 Scudo d'oro - Johann Jakob Trivulzio

Johann Jakob Trivulzio acquired the lordship of Mesocco in 1483 after the valley's inhabitants — frustrated with the ruling Sax family — essentially sold their allegiance to him. A Milanese condottiere of considerable power, Trivulzio used the territory partly as a buffer holding and partly as a demonstration of sovereign ambition, which this gold scudo directly expresses. He would later defect to the French, commanding forces under Louis XII at the Battle of Novara in 1513, while Mesocco itself was ceded to the Grisons in 1506 — meaning many of these coins were struck under a lord who no longer physically controlled the territory.