Enrique II came to power through one of medieval Iberia's most consequential civil wars, having murdered his half-brother Pedro I — known to his enemies as "the Cruel" and to his supporters as "the Just" — at Montiel in 1369. The cornado issues of his early reign were among the first coins struck under the new Trastámara dynasty, a line that would rule Castile for over a century. Seville's mint was particularly active given the city's commercial weight.
Billon quality varied sharply across mints in this series. Seville examples frequently show debased alloy consistent with the fiscal strain of the civil war's aftermath.
Enrique II came to power through one of medieval Iberia's most consequential civil wars, having murdered his half-brother Pedro I — known to his enemies as "the Cruel" and to his supporters as "the Just" — at Montiel in 1369. The cornado issues of his early reign were among the first coins struck under the new Trastámara dynasty, a line that would rule Castile for over a century. Seville's mint was particularly active given the city's commercial weight.
Billon quality varied sharply across mints in this series. Seville examples frequently show debased alloy consistent with the fiscal strain of the civil war's aftermath.