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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Magnus Maximus, post: 2625821, member: 73473&quot;]Hi guys,</p><p>Here is a very rare billon fractional dirham that was minted during the short and tumultuous reign of the last true Norman King of Sicily, Tancred of Lecce.</p><p>I will not bother you with his life story so here is a link to his bio.</p><p><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tancred-king-of-Sicily" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tancred-king-of-Sicily" rel="nofollow">https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tancred-king-of-Sicily</a></p><p><br /></p><p>These little coins are undated and were either minted in Palermo or Messina from 1189-1194. A pity that Tancred died when he did, he would have made a great king who left a stable dynasty and Kingdom had he lived.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]576797[/ATTACH]</p><p>Reign 1189-1194 CE</p><p>Denomination billon fractional dirham RARE</p><p>Date Struck N/A</p><p>Mint Palermo/Messina, Italy</p><p>Obverse Arabic legend (Kufic style) with a cross in center.</p><p>Reverse Arabic legend (Kufic style)</p><p>Weight 0.49 gr.</p><p>Diameter 9 mm.</p><p>Reference Spahr 138, Zeno 30279, Jean Elsen List 236 lot 937</p><p>Grade good very fine</p><p>CommentsTancred (died 20 February 1194) was King of Sicily from 1189 to 1194. He was born in Lecce an illegitimate son of Roger III, Duke of Apulia (the eldest son of King Roger II) by his mistress Emma, a daughter of Achard II, Count of Lecce. He inherited the title &quot;Count of Lecce&quot; from his grandfather and is consequently often referred to as Tancred of Lecce. Although a member of the Hauteville family, due to his illegitimate status he was known by the surname, Fitz Roger, meaning &quot;son of Roger&quot;.</p><p>Born: 1138, Lecce, Italy</p><p><br /></p><p>Died: February 20, 1194, Palermo, Italy</p><p><br /></p><p>Parents: Roger III, Duke of Apulia</p><p><br /></p><p>Children: William III of Sicily, Roger III of Sicily</p><p><br /></p><p>Some pictures of Sicilian-Norman Knights and the Kingdom.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>[ATTACH=full]576798[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]576799[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]576800[/ATTACH]</p><p>&nbsp;And King Tancred himself.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]576801[/ATTACH]</p><p>Post your Norman or Sicilian-Norman coins.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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