Denga - Dmitry Konstantinovich

Dmitry Konstantinovich ruled Nizhny Novgorod during one of the most turbulent periods of the Golden Horde's disintegration, playing rival khans against each other to maintain his position. His principality was among the earliest in northeastern Rus to strike its own silver coinage, a practice that emerged in the 1360s as Horde authority fragmented and local princes seized the monetary initiative. These early Russian dengas frequently copied or adapted Tatar tamgas and Arabic-script elements from Horde coins, reflecting the ambiguous political reality of vassals asserting independence while still formally subordinate.