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500 Francs - Albert II Charles V
| Issuer | Royal Mint of Belgium |
|---|---|
| Year | 2000 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 22.85 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A bold portrait bust of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, faces left in the Renaissance manner, rendered in high relief with fine detail in the facial features and period costume. The Latin form of his name, 'CAROLVS V', appears to the left of the effigy. His birth year '1500' is inscribed above, while his death year '1558' and the designer's initials appear below. The stark, dignified composition pays tribute to the sovereign who presided over the territories encompassing modern Belgium during the height of the Habsburg Empire. |
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| Additional information |
Issued to mark the 500th anniversary of the death of Charles V — born in Ghent in 1500, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, and ruler of a dominion that genuinely never saw sunset — this coin sits at the intersection of Belgian civic pride and pan-European dynastic memory. Charles abdicated in 1556, dividing his empire between his son Philip II and his brother Ferdinand I, a partition that effectively ended the prospect of a unified Habsburg Europe.
Albert II's reign provided the issuing authority. The Royal Mint of Belgium struck commemoratives in this series with consistent .925 fineness throughout the late 1990s and into 2000.