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Home ▸ Catalog ▸ |Byzantine Coins| ▸ |Empire of Trebizond||View Options:  |  |  | 

Coins of the Empire of Trebizond

Trebizond was founded about 1204 A.D., probably following the Crusader takeover of Constantinople. It was surrounded by Muslim states and constantly paid tribute to them. Trebizond did not fall to the Ottomans until 1461, nearly a decade after Constantinople, but its emperor was little more than a puppet for the Sultan.Trebizond Empire

Byzantine Empire, Duchy of Chaldia, Theodore Gabras, c. 1075 - 1098 A.D., In the Name of Alexius I Comnenus

|Trebizond|, |Byzantine| |Empire,| |Duchy| |of| |Chaldia,| |Theodore| |Gabras,| |c.| |1075| |-| |1098| |A.D.,| |In| |the| |Name| |of| |Alexius| |I| |Comnenus||follis|NEW
Theodore Gabras' crowning glory was the recapture of Trebizond from the Seljuk Turks c. 1075, which he ruled for years as if it were his own personal fiefdom. By the late 1080s, Theodore was residing at Constantinople. To keep him in check, Alexios I made Theodore Dux of Chaldia and ordered him to take up his post, leaving his eldest son Gregory at the court. By 1091, Theodore returned to the capital, demanding the return of his son. Alexios refused, claiming he was contemplating marrying the boy to one of his own daughters. Doubting the emperor, Theodore sailed with his son to Trebizond in secret. Alexios sent a squadron of ships which overtook Theodore and advised him that if he refused to hand over his son, he would be arrested as a rebel. Theodore allowed Alexios’ emissaries to take Gregory back with them, while he continued back to Trebizond. Gregory attempted to escape but was discovered and imprisoned. A man of Theodore's military talents was too good to waste, and by 1097 he was once again at the front line fighting the Turks in alliance with the Crusaders. While the Franks were engaged at the Siege of Antioch, Theodore was marching with Alexios, helping him recapture towns in western Asia Minor. In 1098 he was captured by the Danishmends and martyred. He was later venerated as a saint. His younger son Constantine Gabras succeeded him as Dux of Chaldia. Following the dissolution of the Byzantine Empire by the Fourth Crusade in 1204, the region became the center of the new Empire of Trebizond which survived until falling to the Ottomans in 1461. The feast day of Saint Theodoros Gabras is 2 October.
BZ113693. Bronze follis, Bendall Trebizond NC 137 (1977), p. 131 & pl. 6, 3; Corinth VI p. 151 & pl. X, 175; DOC IV -; Hendy -; SBCV -, F, green patina, light earthen deposits, off center, wavy clipped polygonal flan with 9(?) sides (as minted), weight 4.050 g, maximum diameter 26.6 mm, die axis 0o, Trebizond (Trabzon, Turkey) mint, c. 1092 - 1098 A.D.; obverse + AΛEΞI - ΔECP (or similar, struck in the name of Emperor Alexius I Comnenus), facing bust, wearing crown with cross and pendilia, stemma, collar piece, divitision and chlamys, cruciform scepter in right hand, globus cruciger in left; reverse Cross fourchée-pommée on three steps, IC - XC / NH-KA (Jesus Christ conquers) in angles of cross; only one sale of this type listed on Coin Archives in the last two decades, the finest of only six specimens known to FORVM; extremely rare; $900.00 (€846.00)
 


Byzantine Empire, Duchy of Chaldia, Theodore Gabras, c. 1075 - 1098 A.D., Reign of Alexius I Comnenus

|Trebizond|, |Byzantine| |Empire,| |Duchy| |of| |Chaldia,| |Theodore| |Gabras,| |c.| |1075| |-| |1098| |A.D.,| |Reign| |of| |Alexius| |I| |Comnenus||follis|NEW
Bendall notes the X's on the obverse may refer to Christ, and the E's on the reverse to St. Eugenius, the patron saint of Trebizond.

The general Theodore Gabras captured Trebizond and ruled it and the theme of Chaldia as a virtually autonomous state (c. 1075 - 1098). He was celebrated for his martial exploits, and was later venerated as a saint in the region. Following the dissolution of the Byzantine Empire by the Fourth Crusade in 1204, the region became the center of the new Empire of Trebizond which survived until falling to the Ottomans in 1461.
BZ113695. Bronze follis, Bendall Trebizond NC 137 (1977), p. 132 & pl. 6, 9; DOC IV-1 p. 431, 9; Corinth VI p. 151 & pl. X, 172; Sabatier II p. 339, 10 & pl. LXX, 16, F, uneven strike with weak areas, die wear, earthen encrustations, marks, large heavy clipped polygonal flan with 8 sides (Bendall notes weights vary between 2.0 and 3.5g), weight 4.885 g, maximum diameter 23.3 mm, die axis 0o, Trebizond (Trabzon, Turkey) mint, reign of Alexius I Comnenus, c. 1075 - 1098 A.D.; obverse patriarchal cross set on step, X in each angle; reverse patriarchal cross set on step, E in each angle; only one sale of this type listed on Coin Archives in the last two decades (realized $4,500 plus fees in 2020); very rare; $500.00 (€470.00)
 


Empire of Trebizond, Manuel I Comnenus, 1238 - 1263 A.D.

|Empire| |of| |Trebizond|, |Empire| |of| |Trebizond,| |Manuel| |I| |Comnenus,| |1238| |-| |1263| |A.D.||asper|
Manuel I Megas Komnenos (died March 1263) was an Emperor of Trebizond, from 1238 until his death. At the time Manuel reigned, the Empire of Trebizond comprised a band of territory stretching along the southern coast of the Black Sea. Although Michael Panaretos, a 14th-century Greek chronicler, calls Manuel "the greatest general and the most fortunate" and states he ruled "virtuously in the eyes of God", the only event he documents for Manuel's reign is a catastrophic fire striking the city of Trebizond in January 1253. The major events of his reign are known from external sources, most important of which is the recovery of Sinope in 1254, which had been lost to the Sultanate of Rum forty years before.
BZ89548. Silver asper, Sommer T3.20 (same dies), Retowski 217 (same dies), SBCV 2602, aEF, crude style usual for the type, toned, uneven strike, die wear, weight 2.807 g, maximum diameter 21.8 mm, die axis 180o, Trebizond (Trabzon, Turkey) mint, 1238 - 1263 A.D.; obverse A (with circle) /EV/Γ - O / TPA/ΠC/TI/d (C blundered), Saint Eugenius standing facing, long cross in right hand; reverse MH/N/HΛ/o - K/MH/N (MH's ligate), Manuel standing facing, labarum in right hand, globus cruciger in left hand, Manus Dei (hand of God) upper right; nicer than the referenced two plate coins, which are from the same dies; very rare; SOLD


Empire of Trebizond, Basil Megas Komnenos, August 1332 - 6 April 1340

|Empire| |of| |Trebizond|, |Empire| |of| |Trebizond,| |Basil| |Megas| |Komnenos,| |August| |1332| |-| |6| |April| |1340||asper|
When Basil's oldest brother Andronikos III assumed the throne, he killed his two brothers, but Basil was in Constantinople and escaped his brothers' fate. When Andronikos III died, his infant son Manuel II succeeded him; however, Basil was invited from Constantinople to take the throne. Manuel was deposed and confined to a monastery, but after a revolt was murdered. Unpopular with the people, when a solar eclipse took place they took it for a sign of divine wrath and tried to pelt him with stones. Basil formed a marriage alliance with the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos III by marrying his daughter Irene. The affection between the two soon cooled, and Basil took a mistress also named Irene, by whom he fathered four illegitimate children. Basil died 6 April 1340, apparently poisoned by his legitimate wife, Irene Palaiologina, who promptly seized the throne.
BZ89565. Silver asper, cf. Retowski p. 1 -11, Sommer T10.1, SBCV 2622, gVF, dark "as found" uncleaned patina, weight 1.990 g, maximum diameter 21.8 mm, die axis 180o, Aug 1332 - 6 April 1340; obverse St. Eugenius on horseback right, holding cross, A / EV-N in fields; reverse Basil on horseback right, holding three-pronged scepter, BA left, M right; ex CNG e-auction 233 (26 May 2010), lot 579; rare; SOLD


Empire of Trebizond, Alexius II, 1297 - 1330 A.D.

|Empire| |of| |Trebizond|, |Empire| |of| |Trebizond,| |Alexius| |II,| |1297| |-| |1330| |A.D.||asper|
Trebizond was founded about 1204 A.D., probably following the Crusader takeover of Constantinople. It was surrounded by Muslim states and constantly paid tribute to them. Trebizond did not fall to the Ottomans until 1461, nearly a decade after Constantinople, but its emperor was little more than a puppet for the Sultan.
BZ99112. Silver asper, Sommer T7.4.6, Retowski 9, Bendall Trebizond 52, SBCV 2619, VF, toned, tight flan, uneven strike, edge slightly ragged, weight 2.150 g, maximum diameter 22.1 mm, die axis 180o, Trebizond (Trabzon, Turkey) mint, 1297 - 1330 A.D.; obverse St. Eugenius on horse walking right, head turned facing, bearded, nimbate, wearing breastplate and tunic, short cross scepter in right hand, cross upper right, A in a circle / EV/Γ-N in column of three rows left, last letter center right; reverse Alexius on horse walking right, head turned facing, bearded, wearing crown with pendilia, and loros, jeweled scepter in his right hand, cross upper right, A/ΛE K/M/H-N in column of four rows left, last letter center right, ΛE ligate, unusual M but typical for the type; from the Robert Wachter Collection; SOLD







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REFERENCES

Bendall, S. "The mint of Trebizond under Alexius I and the Gabrades" in NC 1977.
Retowski, O. Die Münzen der Komnenen von Trapezunt. (Braunschweig, 1974).
Sabatier, J. Description générale des monnaies Byzantines. (Paris, 1862).
Sear, D. Byzantine Coins and Their Values. (London, 1987).
Sommer, A. Die Münzen des Byzantinischen Reiches 491-1453. Mit einem Anhang: Die Münzen des Kaiserreichs von Trapezunt. (Regenstauf, 2010).
Wroth, W. Catalogue of the Coins of the Vandals, Ostrogoths, Lombards and of the Empires of Thessalonica, Nicaea, and Trebizond in the British Museum. (London, 1911).

Catalog current as of Tuesday, March 19, 2024.
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