Dinero. Medieval Coins. Kingdom of Castille and Leon. Doña Urraca (1109-1126). Toledo. + VRACA · RE. Bust of the queen from the front with veil and diadem, pellets on both sides of the neck. + TOLETVO. Cross. The frontal-bust dinero of Queen Urraca is one of the most distinctive issues of the early Castilian-Leonese coinage. This coin conveys a remarkable political message: departing from the aniconic tradition of the issues of her father, Alfonso VI, it places the sovereign’s own image in circulation, transforming her portrait into a tangible assertion of authority and legitimacy. The abbreviation RE is particularly intriguing, since, as the art historian Therese Martin has observed, it allows for an ambiguous reading as either regina (queen) or rex (king), raising the possibility that it deliberately evoked the dual dimension of royal sovereignty. The coin’s precise dating remains debated, although it has traditionally been associated with the early years of Urraca’s reign. Urraca I was a prominent figure in medieval European political history. She ruled León and Castile for seventeen years, a period marked by dynastic disputes, noble resistance and conflict with her second husband, Alfonso I of Aragon. Far from being merely a transitional figure between Alfonso VI and her son Alfonso VII, she exercised power in her own right and developed a distinctive policy of royal self-representation, reflected in her coinage. The veil and diadem are more than mere adornments: they help present her as a sovereign in her own right, rather than simply as a royal consort. In 2026, the ninth centenary of her death, this dinero takes on particular historical significance: it provides an exceptional testament to the image through which a twelfth-century queen projected her authority to her contemporaries. A coin of considerable interest to collectors of medieval numismatics, it is also a primary historical document of outstanding importance for the study of image, legitimacy and the assertion of female power in medieval Europe. Slight planchet break, yet still a good specimen. Very rare. Almost XF. Doña Urraca. Bautista. 16.1. MMM. U1:1.8. Bi. 0,89.

Lot description

Kingdom of Castille and Leon. Doña Urraca (1109-1126). Dinero. Toledo. (Bautista-16.1). (MMM-U1:1.8). Anv.: + VRACA · RE. Bust of the queen from the front with veil and diadem, pellets on both sides of the neck. Rev.: + TOLETVO. Cross. Bi. 0,89 g. The frontal-bust dinero of Queen Urraca is one of the most distinctive issues of the early Castilian-Leonese coinage. This coin conveys a remarkable political message: departing from the aniconic tradition of the issues of her father, Alfonso VI, it places the sovereign’s own image in circulation, transforming her portrait into a tangible assertion of authority and legitimacy. The abbreviation RE is particularly intriguing, since, as the art historian Therese Martin has observed, it allows for an ambiguous reading as either regina (queen) or rex (king), raising the possibility that it deliberately evoked the dual dimension of royal sovereignty. The coin’s precise dating remains debated, although it has traditionally been associated with the early years of Urraca’s reign.
Urraca I was a prominent figure in medieval European political history. She ruled León and Castile for seventeen years, a period marked by dynastic disputes, noble resistance and conflict with her second husband, Alfonso I of Aragon. Far from being merely a transitional figure between Alfonso VI and her son Alfonso VII, she exercised power in her own right and developed a distinctive policy of royal self-representation, reflected in her coinage. The veil and diadem are more than mere adornments: they help present her as a sovereign in her own right, rather than simply as a royal consort. In 2026, the ninth centenary of her death, this dinero takes on particular historical significance: it provides an exceptional testament to the image through which a twelfth-century queen projected her authority to her contemporaries. A coin of considerable interest to collectors of medieval numismatics, it is also a primary historical document of outstanding importance for the study of image, legitimacy and the assertion of female power in medieval Europe. Slight planchet break, yet still a good specimen. Very rare. Almost XF. Est...1800,00.

Starting bid

700 €

No bids

Lot 110 | Medieval Coins

Historical Background

Lot description