X Réis – Afonso VI

Afonso VI's reign was dominated almost entirely by the regency of his mother Luísa de Gusmão and then the political maneuvering of the Count of Castelo Melhor, who effectively governed Portugal from 1662 onward. The king himself was partially paralyzed, likely from childhood illness, and exercised little personal authority over monetary or any other policy. These tiny silver pieces were struck during the final phase of the Restoration War against Spain, which had dragged on since 1640 and would not formally end until the Treaty of Lisbon in 1668 — just after this type's production ceased.