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Gold maravedi - Alfonso IX
| Issuer | Kingdom of Leon |
|---|---|
| Year | 1191-1194 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Gold maravedi (90) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central field depicts a passant lion to the left in high relief, rendered in the Romanesque style characteristic of Leonese coinage, with detailed mane and raised forepaw. The lion occupies the majority of the inner field, surrounded by a beaded inner circle. A Latin circular legend runs between the inner beaded ring and the outer beaded border, reading the Trinitarian invocation. The flan is irregular and slightly convex, consistent with hammered gold coinage of the period. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Alfonso IX came to the Leonese throne in 1188 — the same year he convened the Cortes of León, now recognized as one of the earliest representative parliamentary assemblies in European history. These gold maravedis were struck in the years immediately following, financing a reign defined by constant military pressure from Castile as much as from the Almohad south. The type draws directly from Almoravid and Almohad monetary conventions, a deliberate political signal that Leonese kings could operate within the same prestige currency framework as their Iberian rivals.
The .800 fineness places it below the purity of earlier Almoravid dinars it imitated, a compromise that was standard across Iberian Christian gold issues of the period.