Morabitino
The Morabitino was during the reigns of Alfonso I (1139-1185 reg.), Sancho I. (reg. 1185-1211) and Alfons II. In (reg. 1211-1223) Portugal embossed gold coin .
Word meaning
The Portuguese Morabitino, like the Spanish Maravedí or Marabotin, was based on the gold dinar of the Moors . The proper name is derived from the name of the Almoravids in Europe ( Arabic المرابطون, DMG al-Murābiṭūn , singularمرابط / Murābiṭ ) known Berber dynasty. In Portugal only a few gold coins were minted with this name, the name was not adopted as the currency of account as in Spain. However, in older numismatic literature, the Portuguese Morabitinos were combined with the Spanish gold coins as Maravedís.
Morabitino of the Middle Ages
The Morabitino showed neither Arabic characters nor, in contrast to the first Spanish Maravedí, the Islamic ban on images was followed. The coins show the mounted king of Portugal and the Portuguese coat of arms. The depiction of the king on horseback probably served as a model for similar gold coins that were later minted in various European countries.
The first Morabitino was possibly already coined by Alfonso I (r. 1139 to 1185), it shows the king on horseback and the Portuguese Quinas in a rough representation . On the reverse , the trinitarian formula In Nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti, Amen is embossed as a transcription, partly in abbreviations . Only four of these coins ascribed to Alfonso I have been known since the 19th century. In the past few years, three of these pieces have been proven to contain gold of American origin, so that they must have been forgeries from the 16th century at the earliest.
The Morabitinos of Sancho I (ruled 1185 to 1211) and Alfons II (ruled 1211 to 1223) had minor changes in the representation.
A Morabitino with a representation of King Alfonso III auctioned in France in 2007 . (reg. 1248 to 1279) is regarded as a unique specimen that has not come into circulation. In the depiction, the coin from the reign of Sancho I was imitated, but the execution is much finer. The king on horseback depicted on the front is also wearing armor, the inscription reads in capital letters "Alfons, King of Portugal". The inscription on the reverse is again the Trinitarian formula, but the coats of arms attached to the medallion now form the Quinas , which is already very similar to the modern representation with five cross-shaped shields with five points each.
Commemorative coins 2009
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In 2009, as part of the series “Numismatic Treasures of Portugal”, Portugal minted coins worth 1 1 ⁄ 2 euros with a reproduction of the historical Morabitino by Sancho I. The commemorative coin has a diameter of 26.5 mm and is made of a copper-nickel alloy . At the same time a gold investment coin with the same face value and motif was issued, the coin is made of 24 kt gold , its gold weight is 10.37 grams and it is also 26.5 mm in diameter. This coin has a mintage of 2,500 pieces.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Albert R. Frey: A dictionary of numismatic names, their official and popular designations. The American Numismatic Society, New York (NY) 1917, p. 154 (Lemma Morabitino ), Internet Archive , Online PDF, 21.2 MB, accessed February 18, 2014.
- ↑ a b c Friedrich v. Schrötter et al. (Ed.): Dictionary of coinage. 2nd unchanged edition. de Gruyter, Berlin 1970, Reprint 2012, pp. 367-368 (Lemma Maravedi), ISBN 978-3-11-001227-9 (reprint of the original edition from 1930).
- ↑ a b Arnaud Clairand, Samuel Gouet: Un marabotin inédit d'Alphonse III (1248-1279) . In: Bulletin Nuismatique , number 38, 2007, digitized version , online PDF, 2.8 MB, accessed on February 19, 2014
- ↑ Colin R. Bruce and Merna Dudley (Eds.): 2011 Standard Catalog of World Coins. 2001 date. 5th edition. Krause Publications, Iola (WI), USA 2010, pp. 439–443 (chapter Portugal ), here p. 439, ISBN 978-1-4402-1160-7 .