The Latin kingdom of Jerusalem was established in the wake of the First Crusade as the most prominent and influential of the four new Crusader States. This coin probably depicts the True Cross relic the settlers discovered in 1099, demonstrating how significant this sacred object was to the kingdom’s sense of identity.
Metcalf, David Michael. Coinage of the Crusades and the Latin East in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. London: Royal Numismatic Society, 1995. Pages 53-57
Exhibition history
Holy City, Holy War: Devotion to the Sacred in Crusader Jerusalem, Museum of the Order of St John, 2 September 2017-22 December 2017
Credit line
The Mildred King Memorial Collection. Gift of Colonel E.J. King, 1935