Numizmatičke Vijesti, Vol. 63 No. 74, 2021.
Original scientific paper
Šubići and the Minting of Coins in Medieval Bosnia
Emir Filipović
orcid.org/0000-0002-8998-7643
; University of Sarajevo, Faculty of Philosophy, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Abstract
Coins minted by the Croatian kindred of Šubići from Bribir are a genuine numismatic rarity
and somewhat of a historiographic curiosity. It is assumed that there are less than 30 specimens
preserved today, and despite the notable list of works dedicated to the study of this
subject, many key issues still remain unresolved. For instance, it is unclear under which
circumstances the Šubići ventured to issue coins with their own names in the first place, and
it is not known where they minted this currency, why it was not produced in more significant
quantities and why their coins are so rare today. Furthermore, we still do not have the answer
to the question why these were jointly issued by ban Paul Šubić and his, firstly brother, and
then son, both of whom were named Mladen and both of whom were bans of Bosnia. It is also
an enigma why ban Paul did not mint his own coins alone, without the names of his brother
or son, and why did he not begin issuing them earlier since he held power in Croatia from
the 1270’s. The lack of available written sources does not permit us to provide an accurate
and definitive answer to any of the above posed questions. Therefore, the aim of this paper
is not to delve extensively into those issues, but rather to provide a short overview and a
recapitulation of the present knowledge about the coins of the Šubići, with special reference
to the beginnings of coin minting in medieval Bosnia. At the same time possible solutions
will be presented as well as some suggestions for thought.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
275817
URI
Publication date:
20.12.2021.
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