Denaro - Manfred M gothic with cross

Manfred ruled Sicily as regent from 1254 before seizing the crown outright in 1258, governing until his death at the Battle of Benevento in 1266 — the engagement in which Charles of Anjou effectively ended Hohenstaufen rule in southern Italy. This small billon piece belongs to a reign defined by continuous papal hostility; Manfred was excommunicated repeatedly, and his coinage circulated in a kingdom the Church refused to legitimize.

Spahr's classification places this among the later issues of Manfred's reign, struck from Sicilian mints operating under conditions of political siege.