BLANCA: COIN OF SPAIN (CASTILE AND LEÓN)
Blanca, 1471-1474: Crown of Castile (Castile and León Kingdoms)
Crown of Castile (1230-1715) — medieval polity in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the union of the crowns of the kingdoms of Castile and León. This state formation became the basis of the newly formed kingdom of Spain in 1715.
Ruler: Henry IV of Castile (Spanish "Enrique IV de Castilla") — King of Castile and León (1454-1474), nicknamed the Impotent (Spanish "el Impotente"). Was the last of the weak late-medieval kings of Castile and León.
Traditionally for medieval European coins, the legends on the coins are in Latin and almost completely lost.
ENRICVS DEI GRACIA REX: Henry by the Grace of God King.
Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Castile: a castle with 3 towers, windows and a gate; used in Spanish heraldry since the 12th century. After the union of Castile and León in 1230, it became the basis of the coat of arms of the Crown of Castile (Castile and León union Kingdom), and later — of the modern Spanish Kingdom.
XPS VINCIT XPS REGNAT: motto "Christ conquers, Christ reigns" as part of the so-called Laudes Regiae (Royal Praises or Royal Acclamations — a hymn used in the rites of the Catholic Church). — About symbol XPS: the name Christus (Jesus Christ) in Greek capitals, spelled "ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ", abbreviated as XPS.
Coat of arms of the Kingdom of León: a lion rising on its hind legs (next to the coat of arms of Castile, this heraldic symbol later appeared on the coats of arms of the Crown of Castile and the Spanish Kingdom).
Both coats of arms (of Castile and León) are placed inside rhombuses (in "diamond").
- Silver (billon): 19 mm - 1.24 g
- Reference price: 10$
COIN BLANCA — WHERE & WHEN (coins catalog: by names & emitents)
- SPANISH STATES (14th-16th centuries) — CROWN OF CASTILE (Kingdom of Castile + Kingdom of León): blanca = 1/2 maravedi = 1/60 real (in different historical periods, the ratio changed somewhat)
About the name of the coin blanca: the name "blanca" is related to the color — "blanca" means "white" in Spanish. It is about the fact that this rather poor quality coin was made of billon (extremely low grade silver), and, therefore, had a white color at first. However, due to the very low content of silver, the blanca quickly oxidized, darkened and differed little in appearance from copper coins. It is probably more correct to consider it a copper coin with minimal silver impurities.
A similar French coin — blanc — is distinguished separately.
