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Denier - Frederick II Messina
| Issuer | Sicily, Kingdom of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1246 |
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| Orientation | Variable alignment ↺ |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Within a beaded inner circle, a bold plain cross pattée with splayed arms extending to the border, dividing the inner field into four equal quarters, rendered in strong relief. The cross is the principal device, unaccompanied by subsidiary charges in the quarters. Surrounding the inner circle, a Latin legend reads R · IERL` ET SICIL` ·, proclaiming Frederick II's title as King of Jerusalem and Sicily, with abbreviation marks and pellet stops. The overall design is austere and emblematic, consistent with the feudal coinage of the Kingdom of Sicily under the Hohenstaufen dynasty. |
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| Additional information |
Frederick II struck this issue at Messina during the final years of his reign, when his conflict with Pope Innocent IV had reached its most acute phase — the emperor had been excommunicated for the second time in 1239 and the Council of Lyon formally deposed him in 1245, just a year before this coin's date. The Sicilian mint continued operating regardless, a practical assertion of imperial administration that papal interdicts could not easily disrupt.
Frederick died in December 1250, leaving the kingdom to Manfred as regent. Billon deniers of this type circulated into the Angevin period before systematic replacement.