Catalog
Denier - Leo IV and emperor Lothair I IMP monogram
| Issuer | Papal States |
|---|---|
| Year | 847-855 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Central field occupied by a Carolingian cross monogram enclosed within a plain inner circle, the arms of the cross formed by interlocking letter strokes in the manner typical of 9th-century Carolingian ecclesiastical coinage. A beaded or dotted border separates the inner circle from the outer legend. The surrounding circular inscription reads LEO PA and SCS PETRVS, invoking Pope Leo and Saint Peter as patron of Rome, rendered in bold Carolingian majuscule lettering. The flan is irregularly shaped and the strike slightly off-centre, characteristic of hammered medieval silver. The overall design is austere and hieratic, reflecting the Carolingian-Papal monetary tradition. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | LEO PA ✠ SCS PETRVS (Translation: Pope Leo. Saint Peter.) |
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| Additional information |
Leo IV's pontificate coincided with one of the most dangerous moments in Rome's early medieval history — his tenure began just as Arab raiders sacked the extramuros basilicas of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in 846, the attack that directly prompted the construction of the Leonine Wall. The joint coinage with Lothair I formalized a Carolingian-papal monetary arrangement that had begun under Leo III and Charlemagne, requiring the emperor's monogram on papal silver as an explicit acknowledgment of Frankish suzerainty over the Roman church's temporal affairs.
The CNI records two die varieties for this type, distinguished primarily by monogram execution.