Coin France Silver Millares, Christian Imitation - 1130 / 1269

This silver millarès is a Christian imitation of the Almohad dirham, struck between the 12th and 13th centuries in various workshops in Catalonia, southern France and Italy. These coins reproduce the Arabic inscriptions of the original models, sometimes in an approximate manner, while retaining their general appearance in order to facilitate their acceptance in Mediterranean trade.

This issue is set in the context of the rise of trade between the Christian and Muslim shores of the western Mediterranean. The Almohad dirhams, issued by the Almohad Empire which then dominated the Maghreb and part of al-Andalus, enjoyed wide recognition in merchant circuits. In order to meet the needs of trade with North Africa, several Christian authorities chose to produce imitations intended for export.

Despite the decline of Almohad power following the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212, these coins continued to be struck and used for several decades. Their production, however, attracted growing criticism, both from Maghrebi authorities concerned about their monetary impact, and from Christian religious and political powers. Under these pressures, the minting of millarès was gradually abandoned in the second half of the 13th century, although these coins continued to circulate for a long time on North African markets.