The pierreale (plural ''pierreali'', i.e. "'' reale'' of Peter") was a silver coin minted by the

Kingdom of Trinacria The Kingdom of Trinacria was established after Sicilian Vespers in 1282, when King Peter III of Aragon ascended the throne, and was consolidated after the War of the Sicilian Vespers in 1302. According to the Peace of Caltabellota, the Kingdom ...

(Sicily) between the reigns of Peter I (1282–1285) and Ferdinand II (1479–1516). It was equivalent in weight and fineness to the

Neapolitan Neapolitan means of or pertaining to Naples, a city in Italy; or to: Geography and history * Province of Naples, a province in the Campania region of southern Italy that includes the city * Duchy of Naples, in existence during the Early and High ...

'' carlino'' and was sometimes called a ''carlino''. It carried on the obverse the

imperial eagle The eagle is used in heraldry as a charge, as a supporter, and as a crest. Heraldic eagles can be found throughout world history like in the Achaemenid Empire or in the present Republic of Indonesia. The European post-classical symbolism of ...

, the favoured emblem of the

Staufer dynasty The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynasty ...

of Peter I's queen, Constance II, and on the reverse the arms of Aragon, representing Peter's native kingdom. The design deliberately contrasted with that of the ''carlino''. After Alfonso I's conquest of Naples in 1442, he replaced the arms with an image of the seated ruler (in imitation of the ''carlino'') and replaced the eagle with the quartered arms of Aragon and Naples.

Philip Grierson Philip Grierson, (15 November 1910 – 15 January 2006) was a British historian and numismatist. He was Professor of Numismatics at Cambridge University and a fellow of Gonville and Caius College for over seventy years. During his long and e ...

and Lucia Travaini, ''Medieval European Coinage'', Volume 14: Italy (III): South Italy, Sicily, Sardinia (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), pp. 257–258. Gold pierreali equivalent to ten silver ones were minted under Peter I, but only rarely thereafter. Half-pierreali and quarter-pierreali were minted between 1377 and 1410 and again during the reign of

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

(1458–1479).

Gallery

File:Monnaie - Italie, Pierre IV d'Aragon, Pierre I de Sicile, Pierreale, 1282-1285, - btv1b11314713t (2 of 2).jpg, Gold pierreale of Peter I (obverse) File:Monnaie - Italie, Pierre IV d'Aragon, Pierre I de Sicile, Pierreale, 1282-1285, - btv1b11314713t (1 of 2).jpg, Gold pierreale of Peter I (reverse) File:Monnaie - Italie, Martin I, 1-2 pierreale, 1402-1409, - btv1b11314728g (2 of 2).jpg, Half-pierreale of

Martin I Martin I may refer to: * Pope Martin I (c. 590/600–655), bishop of Rome 649–655 * Martin I (bishop of Oviedo) (died 1101) * Martin I (archbishop of Gniezno) (died after 1112) * Martin I of Aragon (1356–1410) * Martin I of Sicily (1374/6–1 ...

(1402–1409) File:Monnaie - Italie, Alphonse d'Aragon, Pierreale, 1416-1458, - btv1b113147309 (1 of 2).jpg, King's face on a pierreale of Alfonso I File:Monnaie - Italie, Alphonse d'Aragon, Pierreale, 1416-1458, - btv1b113147309 (2 of 2).jpg, Quartered arms on a pierreale of Alfonso I

References

{{Historic Italian currency and coinage, state=collapsed Obsolete Italian currencies Silver coins Kingdom of Sicily 13th-century establishments in Italy Medieval currencies

Gallery

See also

References