Item number: A1168

Year: AD 1772

Material: Gold

Size: 13.1 x 13.1 x 0.3 mm

Weight: 0.9 g

Provenance: Morton & Eden 2024

This is a 1/4 ducat gold coin issued by Maria Theresa, Grand Duchess of Transylvania, during a period when the Grand Duchy had not yet been annexed by Hungary or Roumania. The obverse features a central shield displaying an eagle and seven castles, representing the coat of arms of Transylvania. The crown above and the double-headed eagle surrounding the shield signify the region’s rule under the Habsburg dynasty. The surrounding inscription, “A AU D B M P TRANS 1772,” is an abbreviation for Archduchess of Austria, Duchess of Burgundy, Grand Duchess of Transylvania, along with the year of issuance. The denomination of 1/4 ducat is marked at the bottom. On the reverse, the central figure is a portrait of the Grand Duchess. The surrounding inscription, “M THER D G R I G H B REG,” stands for Maria Theresa, by the Grace of God, Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, Queen of Germany, Hungary, and Bohemia.

Transylvania can trace its origins to the Kingdom of Dacia, which was eventually conquered by the Romans and turned into a province. Over time, it experienced waves of invasion and rule by the Huns, Goths, and Avars. In AD 896, Árpád led the Magyar tribes into the First Bulgarian Empire, crossing the Carpathian Mountains and entering the Pannonian Plain, where he became the first Grand Prince of Hungary. From that point on, Transylvania came under Magyar rule, eventually becoming part of the Kingdom of Hungary.

After the Battle of Mohács in AD 1526, the Austrian Habsburg family claimed the Hungarian throne through dynastic ties, following the death of King Louis II. The Kingdom of Hungary was subsequently divided between the Habsburgs and the Ottoman Empire. The Principality of Transylvania became a vassal state of the Ottomans until AD 1690, when the Habsburgs established hereditary rule over the region. Following the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Transylvania, which had been part of the Kingdom of Hungary, was ceded to Roumania under the Treaty of Trianon, where it remains part of Romanian territory to this day.

Transylvania is internationally renowned as the birthplace of the historical figure who inspired the vampire legend of Dracula—Vlad III, also known as Vlad the Impaler.

物件編號: A1168

年代: 公元 1772 年

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 13.1 x 13.1 x 0.3 mm

重量: 0.9 g

來源: 莫頓與伊登 2024

這是一枚外西凡尼亞女大公瑪麗亞·特蕾莎所發行的1/4達克特金幣，該大公國當時未被併入匈牙利或羅馬尼亞。正面中央的盾牌上有一隻老鷹及七座城堡為外西凡尼亞紋章，上方的皇冠及外側的雙頭鷹，表示其受哈布斯堡家族的統治。環繞的銘文「A AU D B M P TRANS 1772」為奧地利女大公、勃根地女公爵、外西凡尼亞女大公的縮寫及錢幣發行日期，下方標示面額1/4達克特。反面中央為女大公的頭像，環繞的銘文「M THER D G R I G H B REG」為瑪麗亞·特蕾莎，蒙上地洪福，神聖羅馬帝國皇后、德意志、匈牙利、波西米亞女王的縮寫。

外西凡尼亞可追溯至達契亞王國，歷經羅馬征服建立行省，至後來的匈人、哥特人、阿爾瓦人相繼移入統治。公元896年阿爾帕德帶領馬札爾部落侵入保加利亞第一帝國，越過喀爾巴阡山進入潘諾尼亞平原成為匈牙利首任大公，外西凡尼亞自此被馬札爾人統治，最終成為匈牙利王國的一部分。

奧地利哈布斯堡家族自公元1526年第一次摩哈赤戰役後，從陣亡的拉約什二世以姻親的方式取得王位宣稱，並與鄂圖曼土耳其分割匈牙利王國領土。外西凡尼亞公國作為鄂圖曼土耳其的附庸國，直到公元1690年奧地利哈布斯堡家族確立世襲統治。奧匈帝國解體後，原屬匈牙利王國的外西凡尼亞在《特里亞農條約》中被劃歸為羅馬尼亞領土直到今日。

外西凡尼亞也是聞名國際的吸血鬼德古拉傳說原型，穿刺者弗拉德三世的故鄉。