630–1683 AD Silver & Bronze Holy Wars 8-pc Set

630–1683 Silver and Bronze “Holy Wars” Eight-Coin Set

This is an 8-piece set of silver and bronze coins from various battles between 630 CE and 1683 AD pertaining to the “Holy Wars.” This set contains a coin from some of the most important battles fought during the Holy Wars. Each set contains coins that are more than 1300 years old! The battles featured on the coins of the set are:

1. THE BATTLE OF HUNYAN IN 630: Twenty years after beginning his ministry, Muhammad and his army conquered the Arab city of Mecca, a turning point in the rise of Islam.
2. THE BATTLE OF TOURS IN 732: Under the rule of the Umayyad dynasty, Islam saw a century of success expanding the Caliphate (Arab kingdom) and of the Islamic religion. However, in 732 CE, its expansion into Europe was thwarted by Charles "The Hammer" Martel at the Battle of Tours in the south of France. The Franks (Germanic-speaking people who occupied modern-day France at the time) won the battle despite not having cavalry.
3. THE FIRST CRUSADE 1096-1099: Pope Urban II called upon Christians to retake the Holy Lands from the infidels (Arabs). The Franks heeded the call, retaking important Middle Eastern cities from Muslim forces.
4. THE BATTLE OF LAS NAVAS DE TOLOSA 1212: Islamic forces began the conquest of the Iberian Peninsula in 711 AD. They would hold most of that territory until 1212, when the Arab Almohad dynasty were defeated by Christian forces led by King Alfonso VIII at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa.
5. THE BATTLE OF KOSOVO 1389: Long a battleground between Islam and the West, the Balkans Peninsula (a triangle of modern day Slovenia to Romania, and south to Greece) were taken by the Ottomans at the battle at Kosovo Field on June 15, 1389. The Serbians and Turks fought almost to the death, with most of the soldiers and both commanders perishing in combat. The Ottomans prevailed, by virtue of their greater numbers, but lost so many men that their westward progress was halted. Meanwhile the Serbians were left with inadequate numbers of troops to defend their holdings. Serbia did not fully free itself from Ottoman rule until 1835.
6. THE FALL OF CONSTANTINOPLE 1453: The seat of the mighty Byzantine Empire, for centuries a Christian barricade against Turkish attacks on the West, Constantinople was the greatest city in Christendom for a thousand years—and a prize long coveted by the Ottomans.
7. THE BATTLE OF LEPANTO 1571: The Ottoman’s fleet met the combined naval forces of the Catholic fleet at Lepanto in one of the most important naval battles of all time.
8. THE BATTLE OF VIENNA 1683: The Battle of Vienna marked a turning point in the Holy Wars; it clogged further Ottoman advancement on Christian territories.

A Stark Difference In Style

You’ll notice a stark difference between the coins depending on whether they were struck by a Christian nation or a Muslim nation. Muslim coins do not feature portraits because of strict rules outlawing graven goods—art depicting an image or object meant to represent a god. So, Muslim coins use ornate lettering, shapes, and signatures in place of the typical animals, leaders, and objects typically found on numismatic pieces from the Christian world.

Coins That Actually Circulated During The Holy Wars

These coins come in circulated condition. Although some of the finer details of the coins may be lost, this set is in great shape, and you can hold them in your hands knowing that these coins would have been used by Muslims and Christians fighting and dying for their beliefs. Each coin has been encapsulated in a hard acrylic holder and the entire set will come beautifully housed in a wood presentation case, accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity and storybook.