Sancho II's reign ended not in death but in deposition — a papal bull issued by Innocent IV in 1245 declared him "useless" to the kingdom and transferred power to his brother Afonso. It was the first time a reigning Iberian monarch had been removed by Rome on grounds of administrative incompetence rather than heresy. Coinage struck under his authority during those final years before exile carries an ambiguous legitimacy that contemporary chroniclers did not resolve cleanly.
The extremely low silver content of this billon places it at the degraded end of Portuguese medieval currency, reflecting the chronic fiscal pressure of Sancho's fractious reign.
Sancho II's reign ended not in death but in deposition — a papal bull issued by Innocent IV in 1245 declared him "useless" to the kingdom and transferred power to his brother Afonso. It was the first time a reigning Iberian monarch had been removed by Rome on grounds of administrative incompetence rather than heresy. Coinage struck under his authority during those final years before exile carries an ambiguous legitimacy that contemporary chroniclers did not resolve cleanly.
The extremely low silver content of this billon places it at the degraded end of Portuguese medieval currency, reflecting the chronic fiscal pressure of Sancho's fractious reign.