CASTILE - THE INFLUENCE OF THE ARAB COINAGE IN EUROPE : A SPANISH IMITATION. Alphonse VIII, 1158-1214. Morabetino An 1250 de Safar (1212), Tolède. Inscription sur deux lignes, surmontée d'une croix. Initiales ALF au-dessous. Le tout entouré d'une légende circulaire / Inscription sur cinq lignes. Etoile au-dessous. Le tout entouré d'une légende circulaire. 3,82g. Fr. 101 ; Cayón 1041.

Une monnaie intéressante de la collection Huntington. Très bel exemplaire.

Notes
Exemplaire provenant de la collection Huntington (HSA 57.5792).

This interesting coin is dated in accordance with the Safar period, which began when Augustus conquered Spain. The date 1250 therefore corresponds to 1212 in the Common Era. That year, Alfonso VIII of Castile won a resounding victory over Muslim troops from the south of the peninsula at Las Navas de Tolosa and seized many treasures from the Muslim camp. This morabetino (or maravedi) is similar in appearance to the Andalusian dinars to which Spanish merchants were accustomed. The legends are written in Arabic and imitate Muslim ones, but deliver a Christian message. This coin is therefore a perfect example not only of the rivalry between Christians and Muslims, but also of the difficulty Christian kings faced in distancing themselves from the Muslim model, which had profoundly shaped the Spanish economy and society.