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Sovereign 'Lion d'Or' - Charles II
| Issuer | Brabant, Duchy of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1691 |
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| Value | 1 Sovereign |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | A crowned lion rampant to the left, wielding an upright sword in its right forepaw while resting its left forepaw upon a globe; the heraldic design is executed in high relief in the medieval tradition. A mint mark appears at the top of the field, flanking the lion. The encircling Latin legend reads CAROL • II • D • G • HISP • ET • IND • REX, identifying Charles II as King of Spain and the Indies by the grace of God. The composition reflects the dynastic iconography of the Habsburg Southern Netherlands, with the lion as the emblem of Brabant rendered in the characteristic style of the Lion d'Or series. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Charles II of Spain — the last Habsburg ruler of the Spanish Netherlands — was so physically and mentally incapacitated by generations of dynastic inbreeding that the administration of Brabant fell almost entirely to his governors-general in Brussels. The 1691 coinage was issued under those proxy arrangements, with the mint at Antwerp operating under considerable strain as Louis XIV's armies pressed repeatedly against the duchy's southern borders during the Nine Years' War.
The Lion d'Or type had roots stretching back to the medieval coinage of the Low Countries, but by the 1690s its continued production was as much about local monetary tradition as any practical necessity. Charles would die childless in 1700, triggering the War of the Spanish Succession and ending Brabantine coinage under Habsburg authority entirely.