Frederick II ruled Montferrat as guardian for his young son Boniface, and Margaret Paleologa — the last of her dynastic line — held the marquisate in her own right as heiress to the Paleologos succession. This joint issue reflects a marriage of political necessity: Frederick, a Gonzaga, required the legitimacy her name carried in the marquisate, and the coinage formalizes that arrangement in gold. The Paleologa line itself traced descent from the Byzantine imperial family, a connection Montferrat had maintained through inheritance since the 13th century.
Fr#175 is notably scarce in any condition, consistent with the marquisate's limited mint output during these years.
Frederick II ruled Montferrat as guardian for his young son Boniface, and Margaret Paleologa — the last of her dynastic line — held the marquisate in her own right as heiress to the Paleologos succession. This joint issue reflects a marriage of political necessity: Frederick, a Gonzaga, required the legitimacy her name carried in the marquisate, and the coinage formalizes that arrangement in gold. The Paleologa line itself traced descent from the Byzantine imperial family, a connection Montferrat had maintained through inheritance since the 13th century.
Fr#175 is notably scarce in any condition, consistent with the marquisate's limited mint output during these years.