Lately I've been looking at medieval coins of what is now Spain. The High Middle Ages is one of my favorite eras, and also I am hoping to acquire more ancient and medieval coins of my ancestral homeland of Spain. I'm not quite ready to spend big bucks on them just yet though until I learn more about them. After some searching I found this coin of James I listed. It interested me enough that I wanted to buy it, and luckily I didn't pay a lot for it. During the 1200s, the Iberian Peninsula was divided between Christian kingdoms in the north and the Muslims to the south. One of the these Christian states was the Kingdom of Aragon, which, together with the County of Barcelona, formed a union known as the Crown of Aragon. Eventually it would expand into Valencia and Majorica, establishing them as kingdoms within the Crown as well. James I would rule as the king of each constituent kingdom (King of Majorca after 1231 and of Valencia after 1238) until his death in 1276. Bio of James I: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_I_of_Aragon James I, King of Aragon, Valencia, and Majorca, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier AR denier Obv: IACOBVS REX, crowned bust left Rev: VALENCIE, tree with branches, cross above, Valencia mint (not in hand yet so these are the seller's scans)
Awesome looking coin, i'm trying to stay away from medieval coins so little time,so many coin's...nice pick up..
Amazingly awesome coin, Jango!! ... Wow, the 1200's eh? ... sweet!! I only have one coin from the 1200's but it's not from Europe, it's from Asia: Seljuqs of Rum, Kaykhusraw II Silver Dirham Konya Mint 1241-1242 A.D. (AH639) Diameter: 23 mm Weight: 2.9 grams Obverse: Sun and Lion Reverse: gawd, who knows?
Hmmm. El Cid basically fought on whichever side he thought was best for him. We should not think of the Cantar de Mio Cid as an authentic biography. Christian
