La aparición de leyendas cristianas en las monedas de los reinos del Occidente medieval (siglos XII-XIII)

Abstract

This research intends to be a revision of the Christian influence on the numismatic document. Nevertheless it is limited to the study of the legends (neglecting the iconography) and of the western kingdoms up to the XIII th century. Late Roman Imperial coins hardly include Christian legends, but follow the traditional way in considering coins as purely political power supporters. After the fall of the Roman Empire, under the Barbarian Kingdoms and the Carolingian renaissance, Christian legends are almost limited to the sporadic use of the Gratia Dei formula. Iberia is the first region where coins were consciously used as means of political propaganda against the Muslim foe during the XII th century. In the XIII th the French kings already used Christian legends in their coins, but they pretended to derive their authority directly from divinity without any intermediary (that is, the Church), and in this use they were soon followed by other States.