Erwig seized the Visigothic throne in 680 by deposing Wamba — possibly through a staged illness, with some sources suggesting Erwig administered a drug that rendered Wamba incapacitated and then had him forcibly tonsured, which under church law barred him from kingship. The Toledo mint, operating under tight royal control, would have begun striking in Erwig's name almost immediately as a declaration of legitimate authority. Toledo was the preeminent mint of the Visigothic realm and its output carried political weight beyond simple commerce.
CNV 497 / Pliego 637 places this piece within a well-documented but numerically scarce group.
Erwig seized the Visigothic throne in 680 by deposing Wamba — possibly through a staged illness, with some sources suggesting Erwig administered a drug that rendered Wamba incapacitated and then had him forcibly tonsured, which under church law barred him from kingship. The Toledo mint, operating under tight royal control, would have begun striking in Erwig's name almost immediately as a declaration of legitimate authority. Toledo was the preeminent mint of the Visigothic realm and its output carried political weight beyond simple commerce.
CNV 497 / Pliego 637 places this piece within a well-documented but numerically scarce group.