Selim II inherited an empire at its administrative peak but proved a largely hands-off ruler, delegating military and financial decisions to Sokollu Mehmed Pasha throughout most of his reign. The akçe coinage of this period was already under strain — chronic debasement had been eating at the silver content of the denomination for decades, and by Selim's accession the akçe was a fraction of what it had been under Süleyman. This piece sits near the beginning of a debasement spiral that would accelerate sharply into the 1580s under Murad III.
Selim II inherited an empire at its administrative peak but proved a largely hands-off ruler, delegating military and financial decisions to Sokollu Mehmed Pasha throughout most of his reign. The akçe coinage of this period was already under strain — chronic debasement had been eating at the silver content of the denomination for decades, and by Selim's accession the akçe was a fraction of what it had been under Süleyman. This piece sits near the beginning of a debasement spiral that would accelerate sharply into the 1580s under Murad III.