€10 SPAIN 2021 - 450th anniversary of the Battle of Lepanto
In 2021 the anniversary of one of the greatest battles in human history is celebrated. On October 7, 1571, more than 400 galleys and almost 200,000 men met in a battle in the Ionian Sea, south of Greece, between the Ottoman navy and a coalition of Catholic Christian states (the so-called Holy League). Turkish ships had been pushing for control of the western Mediterranean for years. The Italian and Spanish coasts were increasingly threatened and Malta was almost taken in 1565. So Spain, Venice and the Papal States formed an alliance to confront the Turkish navy and stop its advance. In the history of naval warfare, Lepanto is the last major engagement in the Western world that was fought almost entirely between rowing ships.
To commemorate this event, the Royal Mint issues two silver coins: an 8 Reales (27 gr.)
The 8 reales piece shows on the obverse the effigy of HM Don Felipe VI; while on the reverse appears an image of the Galley commanded by Juan de Austria called "ROYAL GALLERY" and which was the flagship of the Holy League. Built in the Royal Shipyards of Barcelona in 1568, it was the largest galley of its time.
-
Composition : Silver 999 thousandths
-
Face value : €10
-
Weight : 31.41 grams
-
Dimensions : 36x36mm
-
Quality : Proof
-
Maximum circulation : 5,000 units
