The Neapolitan Republic existed for exactly five months in 1799, established under French protection after Ferdinand IV fled to Sicily aboard Nelson's flagship. The republican government adopted a French-style calendar, making "Year 7" the only year this coinage could ever bear. When Cardinal Ruffo's Sanfedist army retook Naples in June, the restored Bourbon regime executed hundreds of republicans — many of them the educated elite who had administered the new mint.
Surviving examples saw almost no circulation. The republic collapsed before distribution was meaningful.
The Neapolitan Republic existed for exactly five months in 1799, established under French protection after Ferdinand IV fled to Sicily aboard Nelson's flagship. The republican government adopted a French-style calendar, making "Year 7" the only year this coinage could ever bear. When Cardinal Ruffo's Sanfedist army retook Naples in June, the restored Bourbon regime executed hundreds of republicans — many of them the educated elite who had administered the new mint.
Surviving examples saw almost no circulation. The republic collapsed before distribution was meaningful.