Catalog
Denier - Otto III and Adelaide temple, DI GRA REX
| Issuer | Holy Roman Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 983-995 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Central cross with pellets or dots at two of the four angles formed by its arms, with abbreviated inscriptions in the remaining angles. A circular legend surrounds the cross, reading the royal titulature in Latin. The design is characteristic of late Ottonian coinage, with a somewhat irregular flan typical of hammered silver deniers of the period. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | ODDO +DI GRA + REX (Translation: Otto, king by the grace of God.) |
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| Additional information |
Otto III inherited the throne at age three following his father's sudden death in 983, with his mother Theophanu — a Byzantine princess — and later his grandmother Adelaide serving as regents. The coin issues of this regency period reflect that instability: attribution among the Pavia and Milan mints for specific dies remains contested, and the "DI GRA REX" titulature was carefully chosen to assert divine legitimacy for a child king whose authority depended entirely on the women governing in his name.