Trillina - Peter Louis Farnese

Peter Louis Farnese held Novara as part of the broader Farnese consolidation of northern Italian territories following his father Pope Paul III's elevation in 1534. His rule was never popular — he was assassinated in Piacenza in 1547, effectively ending direct Farnese control over these signorie. Small billon fractions like this trillina served everyday transaction needs during a decade of constant political maneuvering between the Farnese, the Sforza remnants, and imperial Habsburg pressure on the Duchy of Milan, of which Novara was effectively a contested dependency.