DOI issue:
Artikuły / Articles
DOI article:Kotowicz, Piotr N.; Śnieżko, Grzegorz: Clipped Prague groschen of John of Luxembourg (John of Bohemia) from the Medieval hillfort in Sanok - Biała Góra
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.41338#0239
CLIPPED PRAGUE GROSCHEN...
- and between the second and third stages - the coins must have remained in cir-
culation for some indefinite period of time. Having considered G. Kozubovskiy’s
insights regarding the time of the presence of the clipped groschen on the money
market, the coins found at Sanok - Biała Góra would have continued being in cir-
culation for periods of between several years and up to morę than 10 years. While
the shorter period is evidenced by the coin shown in Fig. 4, determined as hav-
ing been issued in the years 1327-1340, the longer period is represented by
the piece shown in Fig. 3, which is among the earliest issues of John of Luxem-
bourg’s groschen. The condition of these coins corresponds to the above obser-
vation: the piece that was in circulation for a shorter period of time is definite-
ly in a better State of preservation than the older one. This is a very intriguing
point, considering the fact that the hillfort of Sanok - Biała Góra ceased to exist as
a consequence of a military attack. That this is true is evidenced by the scattered
items (currently, morę than 400 metal artefacts), including large amounts of arrow-
heads and bolt heads, as well as traces of fire in the form of lumps of pugging on
the surface of the courtyard area and a layer of charred Stones discovered in Trench
2. However, neither of the coins show any tracę of fire damage, which could be
explained by their having been lost beyond the fortification zonę, where the effects
of the fire are particularly visible.
Is it possible then that one of the strongholds destroyed by the troops of
Casimir III the Great, as tersely noted in the “Annales of Traska,” could have been
the fortress at Sanok - Biała Góra, at that time under Ruthenian control? This
is very likely as there are no elear indications that this event would have taken place
as a result of some conflict during the reign of Boleslaus George II. The charter
document for Sanok issued by the latter duke in 1339 attests that the municipality
was a thriving centre at the time.62 In theory, it could be argued that the stronghold
might have been erected after the annexation of the futurę Land of Sanok by
Casimir III the Great, but the evidence of the finds contradicts this hypothesis,
leaving us with the question of who could have destroyed the fortress. In the years
following 1345, Sanok continued to be mentioned as a centre remaining under
the authority of the king of Poland. The ruler ordered the building of fortifications
around the town and the erection of a castle, and reaffirmed the Foundation charter
in 1366.63 The situation did not change after the death of Casimir III the Great and
the subsequent accession to power in Red Ruthenia of Duke Vladislaus II of Opole,
who administered the territory on behalf of the Kingdom of Hungary.64 There are
62 KIRYK 1995a: 91-98.
63 FASTNACHT 1990: 30; KIRYK 1995b: 106.
64 SPERKA 2008: 32-34.
- and between the second and third stages - the coins must have remained in cir-
culation for some indefinite period of time. Having considered G. Kozubovskiy’s
insights regarding the time of the presence of the clipped groschen on the money
market, the coins found at Sanok - Biała Góra would have continued being in cir-
culation for periods of between several years and up to morę than 10 years. While
the shorter period is evidenced by the coin shown in Fig. 4, determined as hav-
ing been issued in the years 1327-1340, the longer period is represented by
the piece shown in Fig. 3, which is among the earliest issues of John of Luxem-
bourg’s groschen. The condition of these coins corresponds to the above obser-
vation: the piece that was in circulation for a shorter period of time is definite-
ly in a better State of preservation than the older one. This is a very intriguing
point, considering the fact that the hillfort of Sanok - Biała Góra ceased to exist as
a consequence of a military attack. That this is true is evidenced by the scattered
items (currently, morę than 400 metal artefacts), including large amounts of arrow-
heads and bolt heads, as well as traces of fire in the form of lumps of pugging on
the surface of the courtyard area and a layer of charred Stones discovered in Trench
2. However, neither of the coins show any tracę of fire damage, which could be
explained by their having been lost beyond the fortification zonę, where the effects
of the fire are particularly visible.
Is it possible then that one of the strongholds destroyed by the troops of
Casimir III the Great, as tersely noted in the “Annales of Traska,” could have been
the fortress at Sanok - Biała Góra, at that time under Ruthenian control? This
is very likely as there are no elear indications that this event would have taken place
as a result of some conflict during the reign of Boleslaus George II. The charter
document for Sanok issued by the latter duke in 1339 attests that the municipality
was a thriving centre at the time.62 In theory, it could be argued that the stronghold
might have been erected after the annexation of the futurę Land of Sanok by
Casimir III the Great, but the evidence of the finds contradicts this hypothesis,
leaving us with the question of who could have destroyed the fortress. In the years
following 1345, Sanok continued to be mentioned as a centre remaining under
the authority of the king of Poland. The ruler ordered the building of fortifications
around the town and the erection of a castle, and reaffirmed the Foundation charter
in 1366.63 The situation did not change after the death of Casimir III the Great and
the subsequent accession to power in Red Ruthenia of Duke Vladislaus II of Opole,
who administered the territory on behalf of the Kingdom of Hungary.64 There are
62 KIRYK 1995a: 91-98.
63 FASTNACHT 1990: 30; KIRYK 1995b: 106.
64 SPERKA 2008: 32-34.