Dinheiro 'Hexagram' - Afonso I

Afonso Henriques was already in his sixties when this coin was struck — an extraordinary age for a 12th-century warrior king who had spent decades in the saddle. Portugal had only existed as an independent kingdom since 1139, when Afonso declared himself rex following his victory at Ourique, and papal recognition from Alexander III didn't arrive until 1179. These dinheiros were among the earliest coins issued under a specifically Portuguese royal authority, minted while the kingdom was still actively fighting to define its southern borders against the Moors.

The hexagram die arrangement is characteristic of Iberian billon coinage influenced by contact with Islamic minting traditions across the frontier.