6 Mites - Ghent Revolt

The Ghent Revolt produced this emergency copper issue during one of the most turbulent episodes in Flemish history — the radical Calvinist republic that seized control of Ghent in 1577 and held it until Spanish forces under Farnese retook the city in 1584. The regime, dominated by the Committee of Eighteen, operated in open defiance of both Philip II and the more moderate Union of Arras provinces, issuing its own coinage as a direct assertion of civic autonomy.

Copper small change of this period was struck under considerable duress, with metal supply and minting capacity both constrained by the ongoing siege economy. The Martiny reference remains the primary cataloguing authority for these issues.