Sancho IV struck these cornados in the first years of his reign while actively consolidating power against the Castilian nobility who had backed his father Alfonso X's choice of the infantes de la Cerda as heirs. The coinage reform that produced this type was partly a fiscal measure — Sancho needed revenue quickly, and billon issues provided it without the political cost of direct taxation on the magnates he still needed to pacify.
The "cornado" name derives from the crown motif, and the type would continue well beyond Sancho's reign, making early issues like this one difficult to attribute without careful die study against the Álvarez Burgos reference.
Sancho IV struck these cornados in the first years of his reign while actively consolidating power against the Castilian nobility who had backed his father Alfonso X's choice of the infantes de la Cerda as heirs. The coinage reform that produced this type was partly a fiscal measure — Sancho needed revenue quickly, and billon issues provided it without the political cost of direct taxation on the magnates he still needed to pacify.
The "cornado" name derives from the crown motif, and the type would continue well beyond Sancho's reign, making early issues like this one difficult to attribute without careful die study against the Álvarez Burgos reference.