Milan

Philip II of Spain, Duke of Milan 1556-1598

Fr-718, PCGS-graded MS-63

Obverse depicts a radiate head left with a coat of arms on the reverse. Scarce; some double striking but nonetheless a charming coin.

Philip II was probably a victim of his unwillingness to modernize. Ruling during the growing power of the Protestant Reformation, and being a devout Catholic, must have kept him awake at nights. In his eyes, any Protestant was a lapsed Catholic, and therefore subject to the Spanish Inquisition. Needless to say, this made Spain a hated enemy of all Protestants. His troubles in the Low Countries, his defeat by England of his Spanish Armada, and the constant threat of Islamic expansion never allowed him to rest.