Medieval Balkans

[Zantetsuken]

After Stefan Lazarević's death, his nephew Djuradj Branković was appointed as despot in 1427.  Djuradj who was the son of Vuk Branković, was the first in his family to achieve royal status. He was partially successful at holding together what remained of Serbia's statehood by allying himself with Hungary where he also served as a Baron. During his reign, he moved the capital to Smederevo which was captured by the Ottoman Empire in 1439 and he was forced to abdicate his throne but was reinstated in 1444. Djuradj died in 1456 leaving his first son Lazar Brankovic who reigned only two years from 1456 to 1458 when he died. Lazar was then succeeded by his brother Stefan Branković III who ruled from 1458 till he was dethroned by Stjepan Tomasevic Kotromanic of Bosnia in 1459.

The two specimens posted issued under Djuradj Branković, were among the last coins for Serbia before being completely absorbed into the Ottoman Empire. The first is a silver Dinar showing 4 Lines in Cyrillic legend: ' ГNЬ / ДЕСПО / ТЬГЮ / РГЬ = LORD / DESPOT / DJURADJ ' on the obverse. The reverse shows the Branković family crest, the rampant lion surrounde by 4 stars. The second is a silver Aspra showing Djuradj standing wearing a cape, holding a sword and orb, title on rim in Cyrillic: ' ДЕСПОТ-ГЮРЬГЬ=DESPOT-DJURADJ '  on the obverse side. The reverse shows a rampant lion with the mint name in Cyrillic legend: ' СМДРВО=SMEDEREVO '.


SERBIA (DESPOTATE)~AR Dinar 1427-1456 AD


SERBIA (DESPOTATE)~AR Aspra 1427-1456 AD

[Zantetsuken]

Here is another silver Dinar coin issued under Tsar: Stefan Uros IV~Dusan. This is called a 'Horseback Dinar', showing Dusan on horseback wearing a crown and holding a staff. Dusan's intials are marked at both the top left and right in Cyrillic legend on the obverse side. The reverse shows the typical image of Christ in glory with the initials IC/XC in Roman legend. This is one of many varieties of the Horseback Dinars issued during Dusan's reign.




SERBIAN EMPIRE~AR Dinar (Horseback~Variety 1) 1346-1355 AD

[coinsarefun]

This is amazing history and wonderful coins.
Thanks so very much Zantetsuken  for all the great info




Stefanie

[Rigos_Place]

Outstanding Zantetsuken!!! You know I have to bookmark this now right? I have been studying as much as I can about this older ancient coins with the little time I have. Thanks for posting such an interesting subject and showing us all this great information about this coins. You have a great collection in awsome conditions. I cant wait to get some of my own..

[Zantetsuken]

Outstanding Zantetsuken!!! You know I have to bookmark this now right? I have been studying as much as I can about this older ancient coins with the little time I have. Thanks for posting such an interesting subject and showing us all this great information about this coins. You have a great collection in awsome conditions. I cant wait to get some of my own..

Thanks 'Rigos Place', I'm glad you like my coin gallery. I have a book about coins from medieval Serbia and Bosnia by Miroslav Jovanovic which told me some of the history behind each of the leaders. Most of the other info I aquired from Wikipedia. I tried to include only the most crucial info so it didn't get too long winded and boring. The coin from the Banate of Bosnia was one of the most difficult to aquire but surprisingly reasonable in price considering it's rarity. For me, this is one of my crown jewels from my Balkan coins. Soon, I'll be including coins from Slavonia, Thessalonica and some other areas of South-Eastern Europe. I wish you luck in your own coin pursuits. Best regards.

~Daniel

[Zantetsuken]

Another formidable power in the Balkans was the BULGARIAN EMPIRE. Bulgaria stood as an empire twice in their history. The first empire lasted from 632-1018 AD when it was overrun by the Byzantine Empire. The Bulgarian Empire was restored in 1186 AD (sometimes referred to as the Second Bulgarian Empire) and would reign, next to Serbia, as a major power in Southeastern Europe until 1396 AD, when they were conquered by the Ottoman Empire. The following specimen is a silver Groschen issued during the reign of Tsar: Ivan Asen I 1189-1196 AD.


BULGARIAN EMPIRE (SECOND)~AR Groschen 1189-1196 AD

[Billy Kingsley]

Fantastic coins and history. I knew next to nothing about this area/era. I don't think I would be able to decipher these coins if someone handed them to me. That is my biggest problem with older coins. Most of the time I can't even pick out the letters. I am truly impressed by the coins and knowledge in your post, well done!

[Zantetsuken]

Fantastic coins and history. I knew next to nothing about this area/era. I don't think I would be able to decipher these coins if someone handed them to me. That is my biggest problem with older coins. Most of the time I can't even pick out the letters. I am truly impressed by the coins and knowledge in your post, well done!

Thanks Billy. The early coins from Serbia can be tricky to identify since they look very similar to Venetian and Byzantine coins. For example, silver Dinars under Stefan Uros I and II, were mostly modeled after Venetian Grossis. The way you can tell coins from Serbia and Venice is that Venice was ruled by a Doge or Duke, whereas Serbia was ruled by a King (up until 1346 AD).  Venice's Grossi coins on the obverse often have the word 'DUX', meaning 'Duke', whereas Serbia's Dinar use the word 'REX', referring to a 'King'. It's not always this simple, but this is one of the things I picked up on. I use whatever info I pick up in books and on the web, then try to put in the simplest way possible. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the thread. There will more posted soon.

~Daniel

[Zantetsuken]

The next two are coins are from the Principalities of MOLDAVIA and WALLACHIA (now part of Romania and Moldova). The first specimen is a silver Groschen from Moldavia issued during the reign of Prince: Petru Musat I 1375-1391 AD. These were among the first coins struck for Moldavia, and Petru I had numerous coins minted that had patterns that would set the standard for later rulers. The second specimen is silver Ducat from Wallachia issued during the reign of Prince: Mircea I (The Elder) 1386-1418 AD.  Mircea helped strengthen his country's status politically and economically in the region, and managed to control the most territory in it's history. On an added note, Mircea I was the grandfather of Vlad Tepes III~The Impaler (AKA-Count Dracula).

MOLDAVIA (PRINCIPALITY)~AR Groschen 1375-1391 AD


WALLACHIA (PRINCIPALITY)~AR Ducat 1386-1418 AD

[Zantetsuken]

The next coin is a billon Trachy from the KINGDOM OF THESSALONICA 1200-1224 AD. Thessalonica was a short lived crusader state that was a vassal of the Latin Empire. In 1210 AD, the Despotate of Epirus lead an attack against Thessalonica until the territory was conquered and annexed by Epirus in 1224 AD. The ruler for which this coin was issued under is yet unknown.



THESSALONICA (KINGDOM)~Billon Trachy 1200-1224 AD