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Tremissis - Erwig Ispali
| Issuer | Visigothic Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 680-687 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Reverse description | Central motif consisting of a cross on steps (crux graduta), a hallmark of Visigothic tremissis reverse design, with a small cross pattee at the summit and a series of stepped tiers forming the base, flanked by pellets in the lower field. The design is enclosed within a beaded inner border. The surrounding circular Latin legend reads + ISPALI PIVS, identifying the mint city of Ispali (modern Seville) and the royal epithet PIVS. The overall execution is characteristic of the simplified, bold engraving style of the Visigothic mint at Hispalis during the late seventh century. |
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| Reverse lettering | + ISPALI PIVS |
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| Additional information |
Erwig seized the Visigothic throne in 680 by deposing Wamba — possibly through a fabricated illness story involving a drugged communion wafer — and immediately set about legitimizing his rule through coinage struck at Ispali (Seville). His reign saw the Fourth Council of Toledo's decisions weaponized to retroactively validate the usurpation. Ispali was one of the more active Visigothic mints, and tremisses from this reign appear with some regularity relative to other usurper-kings of the period.
Erwig died in 687, abdicating in favor of his son-in-law Egica shortly before death — an unusually orderly succession for a dynasty prone to violent transitions.