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Denier - Boleslaus IV the Curly Kraków mint
| Issuer | Kingdom of Poland |
|---|---|
| Year | 1157-1166 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Reverse description | The reverse field is entirely occupied by a multi-line Latin inscription arranged in three or four horizontal registers, separated by horizontal bars, a layout characteristic of Adalbert-type deniers struck at the Kraków mint. The lettering, reading as a retrograde or abbreviated form of ADALBERTVS — the patron saint of Poland — is rendered in the crude, semi-literate style common to 12th-century Polish coinage. The characters are deeply impressed into the planchet, with a beaded border encircling the inscription field. This type of reverse, referencing Saint Adalbert (Wojciech), was a standard device employed on Piast dynasty deniers of this period. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Boleslaus IV's reign was consumed by the fallout from the 1138 Testament of Bolesław III, which fractitioned Poland among his sons and inaugurated two centuries of fragmentation. These deniers were struck while Boleslaus held the seniorate — the nominal overlordship theoretically guaranteed to the eldest Piast — yet his authority was never secure. In 1157, Frederick Barbarossa invaded and forced Boleslaus into a humiliating submission at Krzyszków, extracting tribute and demanding the reinstatement of his exiled brothers.
The Kraków mint's output from this period survives in frustratingly small numbers, and the four Kop references reflect genuine die variation rather than cataloging redundancy.