Medieval Women

After listening to my fellow CT members discuss medieval coins, I became intrigued and decided to form a collection of Medieval women while I was at the 2017 FUN Show in January. Not necessarily portrait coins, but coins issued by women. [actually, I have seen no portrait coins as yet, and suspect none exist]

So far, my collection consists of 4 coins.

Eleanor of Aquiltaine, wife of Henry II (mother of Richard and John), 1137-1152 AD. Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the most powerful and influential figures of the Middle Ages. She would eventually become the queen of France, the queen of England and lead a crusade to the Holy Land.

AR Denier .84 gm - 17 mm
Obv: Two crosses with A Ω.
Rev: Cross
Reference: E1.11

Maud of Hainaut, Princess of Achaea 1316-1318 AD

Denier tournois .76gm - 19 mm
Obv: +MAhAVTA P Ach', Cross.
Rev: DE CLARENCIA, Castle tournois
Reference: CCS-32-43

Maria of Hungary, 1385-1395 AD, was the Queen regnant of Hungary and Croatia between 1382 and 1385, and from 1386 until her death.

AR Denar .48 gm - 14 mm
Obv: +mARIE D R VGARIE, Crown.
Rev: +mOnETA mARIE R, Patriarchal cross
Reference: Husz.569

Ferdinand & Isabella of Spain, 1474-1504 AD are best remembered as the queen and king who funded Christopher Columbus’ expedition looking for a new direct trade route to India (instead, he discovered America).


Minted in Granada
AE cuarto (= 2maravedis) 3.81 gm - 22mm
Obv: Lion left.
Rev: very distinct style castle
Reference: Cayon 2465v


Please post your medieval women, or any medieval coins that strikes your fancy!

 

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Too lazy to post my medieval gals, but those are great, I like the Eleanor of Aquiltaine.

 

I really like the Eleanor. I have been looking for one of those for a few months.

 

I just discovered Coinage in the Name of Medieval Women, an article written by Alan M. Stahl in Medieval Women and the Sources of Medieval History, which includes a listing of medieval coins from 500-1500 AD bearing the name of a woman. I am amazed that the list is so long! For those not aware of this resource, it can be downloaded at
https://www.academia.edu/14077685/_...ry_ed._J._Rosenthal_Athens_GA_1990_pp._321-41

 

Way cool collecting theme @ancientcoinguru ! Great idea. LOL, my wife wants me to get Joan of Arc coin... I tried explaining...

Anyway, I have a couple of a woman from a bit later...

(One of my daughters is named Elizabeth, and she is married to a Brit... LOL, cripes, ANY excuse to buy a coin!)


England - Elizabeth I - 1558-1603 AR Shilling


England - Elizabeth I 1558-1603 AR Sixpence 3rd-4th issue crescent mintmark

 

Any reason for buying a coin is a good one! Since I already collect Roman Imperial women - and now medieval women - I can see that European women might be next. Great coins @Alegandron!

 

For Jeanne D'Arc you could get one of these

Charles VII as Dauphin. I love the toothy dolphin.


or a modern coin

 

Here is my Elizabeth

 

That's a nice coin! My wishlist grows faster than my budget

 

Perfect. That was the one I was going to explain to her as the only available option. Thank you! My gosh, she wants a Dracula coin too! The only ones that you can truly find are his Grandfathers, of which were probly the currency he used anyway.

 

The coins af Mircea of Wallachia are available, but they are not cheap and they go very quickly because of the Dracula relationship.

 

Nice!! ... congrats, ancientcoinguru (total winner)

Sadly, I don't have a Chick-medieval ... total wish-list addition!!

congrats again

 

Thank you for reminding me of his name! I had it in my files, but I do not chase after it much as that time period is not my focus. I will probably get one sometime in the future, as my wife really does not collect. I get her a few "cool" ones that are cheaper. LOL, I will probably get one from Mircea...but it will quietly be housed in my albums...

 

I have a little beaten up Eleanor...


French Feudal, Aquitaine
Eleanor, r. 1185-1204
AR Denier, 17.86mm x 0.8 grams
Obv.: + DVCISIT, M above, A below, two cross pattee on either side
Rev.: + AQVITANIE, Cross Pattee inside
Ref.: AGC 9B (1/a), Duplessy 1025 (Anonymous of William X), Roberts 4313, SCBC 8011, De Wit 401

And Lizzy I


England
Elizabeth I, r. 1558-1603 (1579)
AR Three Pence, Fifth Issue, 18.91mm x 1.1 grams
Obv.: ✚ELIZABETH D G ANG FRA ET HIB REGINA (Elizabeth by the Grace of God Queen of England France and Ireland). Crowned bust left, rose behind head
Rev.: POSUI DEU ADIUTOREM MEU (I have made God my helper). Square shield on long cross fourchée dividing legend, date 1579 above
Ref.: North 1998, SCBC 2573

I have a few other coins I purchased because of their relation to certain women, but were not issued in there name (potentially under their authority as wards to their children, but no way to know for certain). Cool focus @ancientcoinguru ! I've thought about this one myself, but I've got too many dispersed interests already..l

 

@FitzNigel

It may be a bit beaten up as you say but I would gladly have a coin like that in my collection. Very nice!

 

Thanks - Eleanor doesn't come around too much, and the nice ones are often more than I want to pay. Hopefully I will upgrade at some point. Maybe I'll upgrade Betty/Lizzy/Bets/Liz/Ellie/V-queen at some point, but I doubt it.

 

Me neither......just an Old Laughing Lady........

 

I found a few of them, + there are a few byzantine coins with women..




One of my Byzantines with Constantine VII and his mom Zoe.

 

neat idea for a thread! How about Queen Lilavati of medieval Sri Lanka, two reigns in the late 12th and early 13th century.

 

Gotta cool one from Sri Lanka, and it is a Gal. Not medieval, but Ancient...

She be a righteous Babe!

Sri Lanka 1st C BCE Lead 1/8 Unit Lakshmi excavated in Anuradhapura RARE

"Lakshmi (Sanskrit: लक्ष्मी, lakṣmī,ˈləkʂmiː) is the Hindu goddess of wealth, fortune and prosperity. She is the wife and shakti (energy) of Vishnu, a major god in Hinduism.[2] Lakshmi is also an important deity in Jainism and found in Jain temples.[3] Lakshmi was also a goddess of abundance and fortune for Buddhists, and was represented on the oldest surviving stupas and cave temples of Buddhism.[4][5] In Buddhist sects of Tibet, Nepal and southeast Asia, goddess Vasudhara mirrors the characteristics and attributes of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi with minor iconographic differences." -Wikipedia.org

More about Lakshmi:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakshmi