HIST 223 Medieval Europe: History Illuminated: The Unique Find from Silacwine

William the Conqueror (or as known by some as William the Bastard) is mostly remembered as being the first Norman King of England. Although distantly related to King Edward the Confessor (reigning from 1042-1066), he still had a legitimate claim to the throne--and succeeded in taking the crown. He ruled from 1066 until his death in 1087, establishing an aristocratic regime and erecting numerous castles throughout the land, strengthening royal power. He helped transform England into what it is today and is an important figure in the history of the Middle Ages--even being depicted in the famous Bayeux Tapestry with his half-brothers.

Just recently, in 2011, a hammered silver coin was found in England. This find was actually a unique silver penny of William himself dated from around 1077 to 1080. Engraved into the face of the coin are the words "PILLELM X" translating to "William the King" along with his face. On the reverse side is a cross pattée and the words, "[S]ILIACPINC ON GLI" translating to "Silacwine of Gloucester", the name of the moneyer. This amazing discovery was the first and only example of coins minted in Gloucester in that time period and that "the discovery of this coin therefore proves that the mint was in operation throughout the whole reign of William I" ('Unique'). During his reign, William the Conqueror had at least 70 mints producing coins.

History is once again proven to be fascinating when artifacts like this one are discovered. There are many missing pieces, but when one puzzle gets solved, the picture always turns out to be worth it.

Works Cited:

Bennett, Judith M. Medieval Europe: A Short History. McGraw-Hill, 2011.

'Unique' 11th Century coin discovered near Gloucester

Unique William the Conqueror silver penny found

5 comments:

shelley w.September 23, 2018 8:47 PM
Great new discovery! I like how different William looks from Charlemagne. This is now the Middle Ages. William's image shows sword and crown, not in the Roman style.
UnknownSeptember 25, 2018 1:58 PM
We have a habit of assuming that earlier civilizations did not achieve certain levels by a given time frame but are proven wrong many times. We believed that the mint was not started till a later date because of the turmoil in the country but find out that it was established earlier than believed. Commerce is a great way of stabilizing a region and standardized money helps that process immensely.
UnknownSeptember 28, 2018 3:02 PM
It's really interesting that history is constantly being updated and as recently as 2011 historical narratives are being changed due to foundings
Kat SittenauerOctober 01, 2018 2:01 PM
I think it's amazing that William had around 70 mints going during his reign. Not only was he able to conquer England and become king, but he also set up an empire where so many mints were needed. This shows that there was enough money circulating at the time to where 70 mints were needed.
UnknownOctober 01, 2018 6:33 PM
It's incredibly interesting that not only did William establish his regime through conquest, but through complex economical means, such as the mints! Creating a flowing economy/commerce is a certain way to sustain his land and his people.