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Sesino - Galeazzo Maria Sforza
| Issuer | Duchy of Milan (Italian States) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1466-1474 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | MIR#208 , Crippa II#15 |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The Visconti biscione (biscia), the heraldic serpent devouring a child, is depicted coiled within a reeded inner circle, serving as the dynastic emblem of the Sforza-Visconti rulers of Milan. The letter G is visible to the left of the serpent in the field. The surrounding Gothic legend, interrupted by pellet stops, continues the titulature of Galeazzo Maria Sforza. The design reflects the established iconographic tradition of Milanese coinage, with the biscia rendered in bold relief on the irregular hammered flan. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Galeazzo Maria Sforza inherited Milan in 1466 following the assassination of his father Francesco and immediately set about projecting ducal authority through an aggressive building and patronage program that strained the treasury considerably. The sesino was the workhorse of Lombard small commerce — a coin that changed hands in market stalls and toll gates far more than in ducal accounts. Galeazzo Maria's reign ended the same way his father's did: he was stabbed to death in Santo Stefano church on St. Stephen's Day, 1476, by three conspirators who had rehearsed the attack by practicing on a mannequin.