2 Soldi - Francesco II

Francesco II issued this coin as Holy Roman Emperor — a title he would hold for only three more years before dissolving the Empire entirely in 1806 under pressure from Napoleon. Gorizia, a Habsburg possession since 1500, had its own distinct coinage tradition despite being a relatively minor county, and copper issues like this one were struck to address chronic small-denomination shortages that plagued the region through the late eighteenth century.

1799 was the year of the War of the Second Coalition. Austrian forces were fighting on multiple fronts simultaneously.