Item number: A1327

Year: AD 1774

Material: Gold

Size: 22.3 x 22.3 mm

Manufactured by: Alba Iulia

Provenance: Stacks Bowers 2024

This is a 2-ducat gold coin minted in AD 1787 during the reign of Emperor Joseph II of the Holy Roman Empire, who also served as King of Hungary. The coin was issued under the name of the Grand Principality of Transylvania, which at the time was ruled jointly by Joseph II and his mother, Maria Theresa, as co-sovereigns. The coin features a serrated edge.

The obverse depicts a right-facing profile of Joseph II adorned with a laurel wreath. Surrounding the portrait is a circular Latin inscription: “IOS · II · D · G · R · I · S · A · GER · IER· REX,” which expands to “IOSEPHVS II Dei Gratia Romanorum Imperator Sempre Augustus Germaniae, Ierusalem Rex.” This translates into English as: “Joseph II, by the Grace of God, Emperor of the Romans, Ever August, King of Germany and Jerusalem.” Beneath the portrait is the letter “H,” believed to denote the mint master responsible for the coin’s production. The mint itself was located in Alba Iulia (present-day Romania).

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.

The reverse features the double-headed eagle emblematic of the Holy Roman Empire. The eagle is crowned and holds a sword in one talon and a sceptre in the other, symbolising imperial authority. At the centre of the eagle’s chest is a shield bearing the coats of arms representing various Habsburg domains, signifying the empire’s dominion over its territories. Encircling this imagery is the Latin inscription: “VIRTUTE ET EXEMPLO 1774”, which translates to: “By Virtue and Example, AD 1774.” On either side of the eagle are the letters “H” and “G,” believed to represent the initials of two mintmasters from the Alba Iulia mint. Alternatively, “G” might reference “Gyulafehérvár,” the Hungarian name for Alba Iulia. Below the eagle, a circular mark inscribed with the number “2” denotes the coin’s denomination.

Emperor Joseph II, the son of Empress Maria Theresa, who was the only female ruler of the Habsburg family, succeeded to the throne in AD 1765. He co-reigned with his mother until her death in AD 1780. Unlike his conservative mother, Joseph II implemented a series of Enlightenment-inspired reforms, including the abolition of serfdom, kerbing papal influence over imperial Catholic affairs, stripping privileges from Catholic bishops, promoting public education, and ending press censorship. These progressive policies earned him the title of an enlightened despot.

However, Joseph II’s reforms, particularly the imposition of German as the sole official language and his attempts to merge the empire’s diverse ethnic groups, provoked significant resistance, especially from the Hungarian nobility. His policies, which alienated both the church and the different ethnic groups, led to widespread discontent and diminished his influence. Further, his military campaigns against the Ottoman Empire faltered, coinciding with widespread famine and natural disasters across Europe, which led to uprisings in Hungary and other territories. As a result, his later reign was marred by poor public perception.

物件編號: A1327

年代: 公元 1774 年

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 22.3 x 22.3 mm

重量:

製造地: 阿爾巴尤莉亞

來源: SBP錢幣拍賣 2024

這是一枚神聖羅馬帝國皇帝約瑟夫二世(兼任匈牙利國王)在位期間於公元1787年鑄造之2達克特金幣，並以外西凡尼亞大公國的名義發行，此時外西凡尼亞大公國的統治者是約瑟夫二世的共治者，他的母親瑪麗亞·特蕾莎。金幣為齒狀邊緣，正面為頭戴月桂冠的約瑟夫二世右側側面肖像，周圍的環狀銘文則以拉丁文書寫著：「IOS · II · D · G · R · I · S · A · GER · IER· REX」，其完整全文應是：「IOSEPHVS II Dei Gratia Romanorum Imperator Semper Augustus Germaniae, Ierusalem Rex」，意思是：「由上帝之恩，神聖羅馬皇帝，永久至尊，德意志與耶路撒冷之王。」下方標記應為「H」，「H」應是監督此幣鑄造之負責人的標記，而此負責人鑄幣地點是在阿爾巴尤莉亞（現今位於羅馬尼亞）的鑄幣廠。

背面則有代表神聖羅馬帝國的雙頭鷹，其頭戴皇冠、一手持劍、一手持權杖，胸前有一盾牌刻有哈布斯堡王朝不同領地的紋章，象徵著帝國對各個領地的控制。周圍的環形銘文寫著：「VIRTUTE ET EXEMPLO 1774」，意思是：「美德與模範，公元1774年」。雙頭鷹兩側各有「H」「G」字樣，應為兩位在阿爾巴尤莉亞的鑄幣負責人之標記，此外「G」字樣也有可能是指「Gyulafehérvár」，也就是阿爾巴尤莉亞的匈牙利文，雙頭鷹下方有一個圓形標記，內部寫了一個「2」，為這枚錢幣之面值。

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。

約瑟夫二世的母親為神聖羅馬帝國皇后瑪麗亞·特蕾莎，也是哈布斯堡家族史上唯一的女性統治者，在約瑟夫二世於公元1765年即位後，他一直到公元1780年瑪麗亞·特蕾莎逝世前都與其母親保持共治狀態。與作為保守主義者的母親不同，約瑟夫二世在國內推行了一連串富有啟蒙思想精神的改革，像是廢除農奴制、阻止教皇干預帝國境內的天主教事務，剝奪天主教主教特權，推廣國民教育、廢除書報檢查制等等，由於積極推動這些在當時相當進步的政策，約瑟夫二世被譽為開明專制君主的代表之一。

然而約瑟夫二世也因為強行推動德語做為唯一的官方語言，試圖融合各民族而引起匈牙利貴族的憤怒，並反而激起帝國境內不同民族對皇帝的反感，加上其政策得罪了教會，導致地方的民族主義者和保守主義者聯手掀起反對聲浪，使得約瑟夫二世開明政策的影響力被大幅削弱。加上其執政晚期針對鄂圖曼帝國的戰爭陷入泥淖，又恰好遇上歐洲各地受到天災、飢荒侵襲，導致匈牙利等地多次發生叛亂，使得約瑟夫二世在位晚期聲譽普遍不佳。