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Kasu - Vijayanagara Empire

Vijayanagara Empire

Denomination: Kasu Year: No date - issued 1406-1422 Metal: AE - Copper Mint: Mulbagal Ruler: Devaraya I of the Sangama dynasty

Side A: Bull - possibly representing Nandi, the gate-guardian deity of Kailasa and the mount of the god Shiva, whose worship was wide-spread in the area. The two founders of the Vijayanagar empire were devout worshipers of Shiva.

Side B: Inscription written in the Kannada language Sri Deva Raya

During the late 13th century and early 14th century, the south of India has seen increasing incursions and invasions from the Muslim states in north India. Most notable being the invasion of Muhammad bin Tughluq of the Delhi Sultanate. 

Founded in 1336 the Vijayanagar Kingdom succeded in rebelling against the Sultanate and rallied the local kingdoms against the Muslim states’ encroachment. At it's greatest extent, they ruled over all of south India and fought against successive invasions from the north until 1565 when a coalition of the Deccan Sultanates decisively defeated the Vijayanagara empire, razing its capital and severely reducing its influence and territory. It managed to survive until 1646 when it was conquered and annexed. 

Here is a map of the empire at it's greatest extent: 

http://www.mapsofindia.com/history/vijayanagara-empire-map.jpg  

Despite the fact that the kings titled themselves as "defenders of the Hindu faith" and unified a large number of different ethnicities against the invasions of the Muslim states in the north, the kings were very tolerant of all religions and sects, including Islam and the new arrivals - the Christian traders from Europe. Being patrons of the arts, they encouraged local cultures to flourish and promoting overseas trade made the empire prosperous, starting a golden age in South India.

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Blanca - Reyes Catolicos

Spain Denomination: Blanca Year: No date - issued 1497-15xx(?) Metal: Billon - Silver(.024) Mint: Burgos Ruler: Isabella I of Castile & Ferdinand II of Aragon

Side A: Crowned monogram of king Ferdinand. Inscription (if it was all visible): FERNANDVS ET ELISABET

Side B: Crowned monogram of queen Isabella. Inscription (if it was all visible): REX ET REGINA CAST LEGI This is probably the short version of "Dei Gratia Rex Et Regina Castellae Legionis Aragoniae" - By the grace of God, king & queen of Castile, Leon, Aragon Mintmark: B (doubled because of minting error probably) for Burgos

Not only do these coins not bear a date, but it is also known that they were minted during the reign of Charles I of Spain (Charles V as Holy Roman Emperor) who ruled Spain between 1516-1556.

In 1494, Pope Alexander VI awards the title of Reyes Catolicos to Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon as a reward for completing the Reconquista, a title which is also used for their coinage after 1497. Most historians agree that the marriage between the two monarchs in 1469 marks the creation of modern Spain. The unification was followed by the conclusion of the Reconquista in 1492 with the annexation of the last of the Islamic kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula, the Emirate of Granada. In the same year, they also financed Christopher Columbus' expedition to the west. Their discoveries allowed Spain to become a major power in the subsequent decades with new conquests in the Americas and a large influx of wealth, a status they would hold until the middle of the 17th century.

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5 Kurus 1833 - Ottoman Empire

Ottoman Empire Denomination: 5 Kurus Year: 1833 Metal: AR - Silver(.220) Mint: Constantinople Ruler: Mahmud II

Side A:

Tughra - complex calligraphic monogram / signature of the sultan. Quite faded on my coin, unfortunately. To the right of the tughra we see the word عدلي Adili meaning Just/Fair.

Side B: Inscription:   ضرب في قسطنطنية Zarb fi Qustantinia (minted in Constantinople)

Above the inscription we have the number ٢٦ 26. Below it, the number ١٢٢٣ 1223. The number 1223 represents the accession year (to the throne). The Ottoman sultan who rose to the throne in 1223A.H. (1808A.D.) is Mahmud II. The number 26 represents the regnal year. As in, the coin was minted in the 26th year of rule of sultan Mahmud II. So 1223 + 26 = 1249A.H. which converts to 1833A.D.

The coin is part of the ninth series of issues from Mahmud II reflecting the economic instability and struggle for recovery during his rule.

Reigning from 1808 to 1839, Mahmud II is responsible for modernising the Ottoman Empire and likely delaying it’s complete collapse. He ruled during a time of turmoil brought on by revolts in the Balkans, Egypt and Arabia culminating with the independence of Greece in 1832 and the loss of Syria and Arabia to Egypt. Despite the wars and conservatives within his government he managed to enact reforms that would change the administrative, economic and military institutions that were set in place hundreds of years before. He would begin the Tanzimat reform era in 1839, the year of his death, which would be continued by his sons. Despite everything, he only managed to slow the decline of the empire which continued to loose it’s territories and relevance on the world stage .

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3 Mark 1912 - Prussia

German States: Prussia Denomination: 3 Mark Year: 1912 Metal: AR - Silver(.900) Mint: Berlin Ruler: Wilhelm II

Side A: Coat of arms of the German Empire - the Reichsadler (Imperial Eagle), symbol used by the Holy Roman Emperors since the 13th century derived from the Roman eagle standard. Inescutcheon (on a smaller shield on the chest of the eagle) we have another eagle overlaid with the coat of arms of the House of Hohenzollern: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/Hohenzollern_Haus_Wappen.svg/600px-Hohenzollern_Haus_Wappen.svg.png  

Above the eagle, we have the German State Crown https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_State_Crown 

Inscription: DEUTSCHES REICH 1912 - DREI MARK

(German Empire 1912 - 3 Mark)

Side B: Portrait of Emperor Wilhelm II Inscription: WILHELM II DEUTSCHER KAISER KÖNIG Von PREUSSEN (Wilhelm II German Emperor, King of Prussia) Mintmark: A for Berlin

Reigning from 1888 to 1918, he is often cited as one of the main causes of the escalation of events that led to World War I. With an impulsive personality, early in his reign, he dismissed chancellor Otto von Bismark, who had worked for 20 years on maintaining peace between the major powers of Europe through diplomacy. He started promoting aggressive expansionist policies with little regard to foreign affairs, slowly eroding the stability set in place by Bismark and increasing tensions between the major powers.