1 Trillina - Carlo V

Carlo V acquired Milan in 1535 following the death of Francesco II Sforza, the last Sforza duke, who left no heir. Rather than grant the duchy to a new Italian lord, Carlo absorbed it directly into Habsburg dominion — a decision that would keep Milan under Spanish control for the next 170 years. The trillina was the smallest unit of account in Milanese copper-billon coinage, and its long emission across two decades reflects the administrative continuity the Habsburgs deliberately maintained, preserving local monetary denominations to ease the transition from Sforza to imperial rule.