Item number: A1169

Year: AD 1433-1437

Material: Gold

Size: 22.8 x 22.4 x 0.5 mm

Weight: 3.4 g

Manufactured by: Basel

Provenance: Morton & Eden 2024

This is a gold Guilder issued by the Prince-Bishopric of Basel, circulated in the Holy Roman Empire and the Italian city-states. On the obverse, the central image depicts the Virgin Mary holding the infant Christ, surrounded by the inscription “MONETA NO BASILIENs,” meaning “newly Basel money.” The reverse features a central motif of a cross-bearing orb, encircled by trefoil symbols with triangles, representing Christian iconography. The surrounding inscription reads “SIGISMV.D RO NORVM IMPERATOR,” which translates to “Sigismund, Emperor of the Romans.”

The Prince-Bishopric was a unique political entity prevalent within the Holy Roman Empire, reflecting the Catholic Church’s significant influence on European politics in the past. However, in Basel, the bishop’s political influence over the Prince-Bishopric was suppressed by the town’s guilds and a citizen-led city council. The thriving economic development of Basel eventually secured the city’s right to mint its own currency within the Empire. In AD 1501, Basel, asserting its independence, joined the Old Swiss Confederacy.

Basel’s religious community was diverse. In AD 1349, during the Black Death pandemic, Jews were blamed for the plague, leading to the persecution of the Jewish population and their eventual expulsion from the city. From AD 1431 to 1445, the 17th Ecumenical Council, known as the Council of Basel-Ferrara-Florence, brought clergy from across Europe to the city. Around the 15th century, the introduction of the printing press further amplified the forces of the Reformation, and Basel became an important centre for the spread of Protestantism.

物件編號: A1169

年代: 公元 1433-1437 年

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 22.8 x 22.4 x 0.5 mm

重量: 3.4 g

製造地: 巴塞爾

來源: 莫頓與伊登 2024

這是一枚由巴塞爾采邑主教區所發行的古爾登金幣，通行於神聖羅馬帝國與義大利城邦。正面中央為聖母抱著幼年的基督，外圈銘文「MONETA NO BASILIENs」的意思是「新造的巴塞爾錢幣」。反面中央則是十字聖球，被帶有三角的三葉符號包圍，展示基督宗教的元素。外圈的銘文「SIGISMV.D RO NORVM IMPERATOR」的意思是「西吉斯蒙德，羅馬人的皇帝」。

采邑主教區為盛行於神聖羅馬帝國境內的特殊政治實體，展現天主教會在過去對於歐洲政治的影響力。然而在巴塞爾，城鎮行會與市民聯合主導的市議會壓制了主教對采邑主教區的政治影響力，其經濟發展的蓬勃也使其最終得到帝國的鑄幣權。公元1501年，城市以其獨立性加入舊瑞士邦聯。

巴塞爾的宗教社群多元，公元1349年的黑死病大流行，人們歸咎於猶太人而使城內的群體及社區受到迫害，進而全數遷出。公元1431-1445年的第十七次大公會議，先後在巴塞爾、費拉拉、佛羅倫斯召開，各地教士進駐該城。公元15世紀左右，印刷術的演引進同時使宗教改革的力量增強，巴塞爾也成為新教傳播的重要據點。