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5 Grani - Jean de Vallette
| Issuer | Order of Saint John (Knights of Malta) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1566 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 21 mm |
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| Obverse description | Central field displays the shield of the Order of Saint John — a plain cross on a crowned escutcheon — set within an ornamental cartouche or decorative frame. The composition is rendered in the hammered style typical of mid-sixteenth century Hospitaller coinage. A Latin legend encircles the design, invoking the patron saint of the Order. |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Jean de Vallette was Grand Master during the Great Siege of 1565, when an Ottoman force of some 40,000 troops failed to dislodge roughly 600 Knights and perhaps 6,000 Maltese soldiers and militia. The siege ended in September 1565, and this coin was struck the following year — the Order's finances severely strained by the cost of the defense and the immediate construction of the new fortified city that would bear Vallette's name.
The Order maintained its own mint at Birgu throughout this period, operating under papal sanction but functionally independent of any secular crown.