Charles V acquired Milan in 1535 following the extinction of the Sforza line with Francesco II's death, incorporating the duchy directly into Habsburg imperial administration rather than installing a vassal. The trillina — a denomination peculiar to Milanese monetary tradition — continued largely unchanged under the new regime, a pragmatic concession to local commercial habit in a city whose banking networks the Habsburgs had no interest in disrupting.
Billon coinage of this type circulated hard through the mid-sixteenth century and survivors in decent condition are genuinely scarce.
Charles V acquired Milan in 1535 following the extinction of the Sforza line with Francesco II's death, incorporating the duchy directly into Habsburg imperial administration rather than installing a vassal. The trillina — a denomination peculiar to Milanese monetary tradition — continued largely unchanged under the new regime, a pragmatic concession to local commercial habit in a city whose banking networks the Habsburgs had no interest in disrupting.
Billon coinage of this type circulated hard through the mid-sixteenth century and survivors in decent condition are genuinely scarce.