Item number: A3608

Reference number: Bates & Metcalf#16-42

Year: AD 1251-1258

Material: Gold (recorded .570-.670)

Size: 20.4 x 20.3 x 0.8 mm

Weight: 3.7 g

Manufactured by: Tripoli Mint

Provenance: Stephen Album Rare Coins 2025

This is a gold bezant struck by the County of Tripoli, one of the Crusader states.

The coin’s design imitates the gold dinar of the Fāṭimid caliph al-Mustanṣir, with its central inscription surrounded by three concentric circles. The obverse bears pseudo-Kufic inscriptions that are largely illegible, engraved without linguistic meaning. At the centre stands a cross, which may relate to the decree issued in AD 1251 by Pope Innocent IV, forbidding Crusader states from minting coins bearing the names of “Allah” or the caliphs, which were considered sacrilegious. The letter “T” above the cross may refer either to Tripoli or to Tancred. Tancred of Galilee served twice as regent of Antioch between AD 1100 and 1112, and for a time controlled the northern territories of Tripoli. Although he eventually recognised the legitimacy of the County of Tripoli under mediation by Baldwin I, King of Jerusalem, his political and military influence over the region remained significant.

The reverse also displays pseudo-Kufic inscriptions. The letter “B” above may represent Bohemond, the founder of the Principality of Antioch, whose descendants—Bohemond IV to Bohemond VII—ruled Tripoli concurrently as counts. The geometric ornaments and dotted motifs between the obverse and reverse inscriptions may indicate the marks or signatures of individual die engravers.

After the First Crusade, the Latins established four major feudal states in the eastern Mediterranean: the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Principality of Antioch, the County of Tripoli, and the County of Edessa. Collectively known as the Crusader States, these polities professed allegiance to the papacy and to the king of Jerusalem, yet in practice exercised highly fragmented political authority. Their social structure was dominated by Latin nobles, while the majority population consisted of Syrian Christians, Armenians, and Muslims. Economically, they relied on port commerce and support from Western Europe, maintaining close military and mercantile alliances with the Italian maritime republics of Genoa, Venice, and Pisa. By the late twelfth century, following Saladin’s unification of Egypt and Syria, the Crusader States lost most of their inland territories and were compelled to retreat to the coastal strongholds of Acre, Tripoli, and Antioch, forming a narrow chain of Latin enclaves along the Levantine coast.

Bohemond I (c. AD 1058–1111), son of the Norman adventurer Robert Guiscard and uncle of Tancred, was a leader of the First Crusade renowned for his strategic acumen. In AD 1098, after capturing Antioch, he refused to restore the city to the Byzantine Empire, declaring himself prince and establishing the Principality of Antioch. The polity bore the imprint of Norman feudal traditions, functioning as a semi-autonomous military state. Bohemond’s ambitions placed him in frequent conflict with Baldwin I of Jerusalem. Captured by the Turks between AD 1100 and 1103, he was succeeded in his absence by Tancred as regent. Upon his release, Bohemond returned to Europe to seek reinforcements and in AD 1108 concluded the Treaty of Devol with the Byzantines, formally acknowledging Antioch as a Byzantine vassal state.

Tancred (c. AD 1075–1112), Bohemond’s nephew, likewise of Norman descent, distinguished himself during the First Crusade and was appointed Prince of Galilee. After Bohemond’s capture, he twice served as regent of Antioch (AD 1100–1103 and 1105–1112), preserving the northern Syrian frontier and vital trade routes. Combining religious zeal with political ambition, Tancred ruled with firmness and pragmatism, attempting to consolidate Antioch and Tripoli into a single dominion. He occupied the Tripolitan region for about seven years (AD 1102–1109), governing it through Antiochene military authority prior to the formal establishment of the County of Tripoli by the Raymondine family. Though compelled to cede control to Raymond’s son Bertrand under Baldwin I’s mediation, Tancred retained diplomatic and suzerain influence over Tripoli throughout his lifetime.

The County of Tripoli was the last of the Crusader states to be established. Raymond IV of Toulouse began the siege of Tripoli in AD 1102, and the city was finally taken and the county formally constituted by his son Bertrand in AD 1109. At its height, the county extended from Arsuf in the south to Latakia in the north, inhabited predominantly by Syrian Christians and Muslims, and governed under a Franco-feudal system. Tripoli quickly developed into a major Mediterranean entrepôt, concluding commercial treaties with Genoese, Pisan, and Venetian merchants. However, by the thirteenth century its political and economic vitality had begun to wane. The county’s relations with the Principality of Antioch were close yet strained—noble families frequently intermarried, but conflicts over suzerainty were recurrent. The Bohemond dynasty of Antioch long claimed “protective and supervisory rights” over Tripoli and often intervened in its succession. Although nominally subject to the Kingdom of Jerusalem, Tripoli remained under strong Antiochene influence.

After AD 1250, following the Mamluk overthrow of the Ayyubid dynasty in Egypt, the Crusader coastal powers became targets of the new regime. Tripoli temporarily secured its trade through a defensive pact with Genoa, but internal factionalism and mistrust paralysed its military response. In AD 1251, Pope Innocent IV issued a decree forbidding the Crusader states from striking coins inscribed with references to Allah or Muhammad, deeming them blasphemous. The reform disrupted the monetary system of Tripoli: the traditional bezants modelled on Fāṭimid and Ayyūbid dinars were replaced by new issues bearing Latin legends and Christian symbols, though the Arabic imitations persisted in a debased and ornamental form. Count Bohemond VI, who also ruled Antioch, sustained the county briefly through papal and Mongol support, yet Tripoli’s economy declined sharply, its gold coinage falling to about 60–70% purity. By AD 1268, when Antioch fell to Sultan Baybars, Tripoli remained the only surviving Latin polity in Syria. Its last ruler, Bohemond VII, faced deep internal divisions among Genoese, Venetian, and military orders; his death in AD 1287 without an heir provoked civil strife. In AD 1289, Sultan al-Mansur Qalawun besieged Tripoli; the city capitulated within a month, was burned and sacked, and its inhabitants were either massacred or enslaved. The county’s destruction marked the effective end of Latin power in the Levant, leaving Acre as the final outpost until its fall in AD 1291.

The term “Bezant” originally referred to the Byzantine gold solidus, deriving its name from Byzantium. In medieval Western Europe, it evolved into a generic term for high-purity gold coins circulating in the East, particularly within the Islamic world. Following the establishment of Latin states in the eastern Mediterranean after the First Crusade, Crusader rulers began to mint their own imitative gold coins to integrate into local trade and monetary networks. These bezants emulated the round form and Arabic inscriptions of the Fāṭimid and Ayyūbid dinars, though their legends were often blundered or meaningless. Struck in Jerusalem, Tripoli, and Antioch, they typically contained between 70 and 90 per cent gold and served as a principal currency of Mediterranean commerce. Latin documents frequently refer to them as bisantii saracenati (“Saracenic bezants”). In the mid-thirteenth century, Pope Innocent IV denounced the appearance of “Allah” and “Muhammad” on their surfaces as sacrilegious, prohibiting further production of such coins. Thereafter, the bezant adopted Latin legends and Christian imagery, while its gold content and artistry declined alongside the fortunes of the Crusader states. Even after the fall of the Latin East, the term “Bezant” remained in financial use across Europe, symbolising the enduring prestige of the medieval Eastern gold coinage.

物件編號: A3608

參考書目編號: Bates & Metcalf#16-42

年代: 公元 1251-1258 年

材質: 黃金 (570‰-670‰)

尺寸: 20.4 x 20.3 x 0.8 mm

重量: 3.7 g

製造地: 的黎波里

來源: 史蒂芬稀有錢幣專輯 2025

這是一枚十字軍列國之一的的黎波里伯國，所鑄的貝桑特金幣。

金幣的形制模仿稍早時期法蒂瑪王朝穆斯坦綏爾的金第納爾，中央幣銘外疊繞三層圓環。正面是虛構的庫法體阿拉伯文，基本無法識讀。幣銘中央有十字架，可能與公元1251年教宗英諾森四世嚴禁十字軍國家發行帶有阿拉及哈里發等字樣的錢幣有關。上方的「T」可能表示「的黎波里」(Tripoli)或「坦克雷德」(Tancred)。加利利的坦克雷德於公元1100至1112年間兩度擔任安條克攝政，並一度掌控的黎波里北部地區，雖然在鮑德溫一世調解下承認的黎波里伯國，但在的黎波里仍擁有強大影響力。

背面亦為虛構的庫法體阿拉伯文，正上方的「B」可能是博希蒙德(Bohemond)，博希蒙德一世為安條克公國的建立者，而博希蒙德四世至七世均以安條克公爵的身分兼任的黎波里伯爵。正背面幣銘間的幾何圖形與圈點，可能為造幣廠的工匠記號。

第一次十字軍東征結束後，拉丁人在東地中海建立了四個主要的封建政權：耶路撒冷王國(Kingdom of Jerusalem)、安條克公國(Principality of Antioch)、的黎波里伯國(County of Tripoli)與埃德薩伯國(County of Edessa)。這些政權共同構成所謂的「十字軍國家」，名義上效忠於教宗與耶路撒冷國王，但實際上政治權力分散、貴族派系林立。十字軍國家的社會結構以拉丁貴族為統治核心，當地居民多為敘利亞基督徒、亞美尼亞人與穆斯林。經濟上，這些國家依賴港口貿易與西歐援助維持，並與熱那亞、威尼斯、比薩等義大利海上城邦形成密切的軍事與商業聯盟。到了十二世紀末，隨著薩拉丁統一埃及與敘利亞，十字軍國家逐步喪失內陸領地，被迫退守海岸城市，最終形成以阿克(Acre)、的黎波里(Tripoli)、安條克(Antioch)為主的沿海據點體系。

博希蒙德一世(約公元1058-1111)出身於南義諾曼貴族，是羅貝爾·吉斯卡爾(Robert Guiscard)之子，也是坦克雷德的舅舅。他在第一次十字軍東征中展現卓越的軍略，於公元1098年奪取安條克後拒絕將其歸還拜占庭，而是自立為公，建立安條克公國(Principality of Antioch)。安條克公國的政權體制深受諾曼封建傳統影響，形成相對獨立的軍事政體。博希蒙德的野心使他與耶路撒冷國王鮑德溫一世(Baldwin I)關係緊張。他被土耳其人俘虜(公元1100-1103)後，政權由坦克雷德代理。釋放後他返回西方尋求支援，並與拜占庭簽訂《迪沃爾條約》(Treaty of Devol, 公元1108年)，形式上承認安條克為拜占庭封地。

坦克雷德(約公元1075-1112年)是博希蒙德的外甥，出身義大利諾曼家族。他在第一次十字軍東征中展現勇猛，被任命為加利利侯爵(Prince of Galilee)。在博希蒙德被俘後，他於公元1100至1112年間兩度成為安條克的攝政，並成功維持北敘利亞的防線與貿易路線。坦克雷德兼具宗教熱忱與領土野心，他的統治方式強硬而現實，試圖將安條克與黎波里合併為一體。他曾一度佔領的黎波里地區，並在雷蒙家族未正式建國前控制該區約七年(公元1102-1109年)。這段時期的黎波里由安條克軍事力量實際治理。儘管後來在耶路撒冷國王鮑德溫一世的調停下，坦克雷德讓位給雷蒙之子貝特朗(Bertrand)，但仍保持對黎波里的外交與宗主影響。

的黎波里伯國是最後成立的十字軍國家，由圖盧茲的雷蒙四世(Raymond IV of Toulouse)於公元1102年開始圍攻黎波里，並於公元1109年由其子貝特朗(Bertrand of Toulouse)完成攻陷後正式建國。建國初期，伯國統治範圍從阿爾蘇夫(Arsuf)以北延伸至拉塔基亞(Latakia)以南，境內居民多為敘利亞基督徒與穆斯林，行政上模仿法蘭西封建制。的黎波里迅速發展為地中海重要的貿易港，與熱那亞、比薩、威尼斯商人締結條約，成為東西貿易的轉運中心。然而進入十三世紀後，伯國的政治與經濟逐漸衰弱。此時期的黎波里與安條克公國的關係密切且充滿張力。兩地貴族多有聯姻，但也因宗主權問題頻生衝突。安條克的博希蒙德家族長期聲稱對黎波里擁有「保護與監督權」，並干預伯爵繼承。的黎波里伯國名義上效忠耶路撒冷王國，但實際上多受安條克軍事影響。公元1250年後，隨馬木留克王朝取代埃宥比家族統治埃及，地中海沿岸的十字軍勢力成為新政權的首要清除目標。的黎波里雖暫與熱那亞締約以保衛貿易，但伯國內部爭權與信任危機使其軍事行動矛盾遲緩。伯爵博希蒙德六世(Bohemond VI，兼為安條克王子)在教宗與蒙古聯盟的鼓勵下短暫支撐局勢。十三世紀後期，安條克已於公元1268年為馬木留克蘇丹拜巴爾(Baybars)所滅，的黎波里成為僅存的拉丁政權之一。伯國的最後統治者博希蒙德七世(Bohemond VII)與熱那亞、威尼斯及聖殿騎士團之間矛盾不斷，內部陷於貴族爭鬥。公元1287年，博希蒙德七世死於無嗣，繼承問題引發內亂。公元1289年，馬木留克蘇丹嘉拉溫(al-Mansur Qalawun)率軍圍攻的黎波里，城防僅支撐一個月即陷落。城市被焚毀，居民或被屠殺、或被掠為奴，少數貴族逃往塞浦路斯。的黎波里伯國遂告滅亡。此一事件象徵十字軍在敘利亞與黎凡特的政治終結，僅餘阿克港延續至公元1291年亦告陷落。

「貝桑特」(Bezant)原指拜占庭帝國所鑄的金幣索利都斯(Solidus)，名稱源自國號「拜占庭」(Byzantium)。在中世紀的拉丁歐洲，貝桑特逐漸成為泛稱，用以指稱所有源自東方、特別是穆斯林世界流通的高純度金幣。隨著第一次十字軍東征後拉丁人在東地中海建立政權，十字軍國家為了適應當地的商業體系與伊斯蘭貨幣市場，也開始仿造這些金幣。十字軍的貝桑特幣多仿效法蒂瑪王朝(Fāṭimid)或埃宥比王朝(Ayyūbid)的第納爾(Dinar)，保留圓形與阿拉伯文銘文的形式，但往往出現錯誤或不通的模仿字。這些金幣在耶路撒冷王國、的黎波里伯國與安條克公國均有鑄造，金含量介於 70% 至 90% 之間，一般為地中海貿易中通用的貨幣單位。拉丁文文獻常以「撒拉森式貝桑特幣」(bisantii saracenati)稱之。十三世紀中期，教宗英諾森四世(Innocent IV)認為在幣面上刻有「穆罕默德」與「真主」的字樣有褻瀆之嫌，下令禁止再鑄仿伊斯蘭文幣。此後貝桑特逐漸改以拉丁銘文與基督教符號呈現，金幣純度與藝術水準亦隨十字軍國家的衰退而下降。十字軍國家滅亡後，「貝桑特」幣仍通行許久。