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Ducat - Jacob Gattilusio
| Issuer | Lordship of Lesbos (Mytilene) (Genoese colonies) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1404-1428 |
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| Composition | Gold |
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| Obverse description | Saint Mark depicted in full figure, standing to the left in flowing robes with a nimbus, extending a standard or gonfalon toward the kneeling figure of the doge at right. The doge is shown in ducal regalia, genuflecting in a posture of investiture. The composition closely follows the Venetian ducat type, reflecting Genoese colonial imitation of that prestigious model. The scene is framed by a circular legend in uncial Latin script running along the coin's periphery. The hammered flan displays characteristic irregular edges and bold relief typical of medieval Levantine gold coinage. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Jacob Gattilusio ruled Lesbos as a Genoese lord under Byzantine suzerainty, and his gold ducats were struck in direct imitation of Venetian coinage — a deliberate commercial decision that made them acceptable across Aegean trade networks that ran on Venetian weight standards. The Gattilusio family had held Lesbos since 1355, when Francesco I received the island as a reward from John V Palaiologos for helping him reclaim Constantinople from a usurper.
Jacob's reign ended when he was strangled on the orders of his own brother Dorino, who took the lordship for himself in 1428.