Expanding Horizons. A Coin of Rhodes

Knights of Rhodes (Knights Hospitaller). Philibert of Naillac. 1396-1421. AR Gigliato (27mm, 3.73 g). Grandmaster kneeling left, holding patriarchal cross set on base; coat-of-arms to right / Cross fleurée; each bar ending in shield with arms of the Order of St. John.

This is a coin of Phillibert de Naillac, grand master of the Order of the Knights the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, otherwise known as the Knights Hospitaller, in 1376. The order was founded in Jerusalem in the immediate aftermath of the first crusade, when Pope Urban II encouraged knights to defend the Byzantine empire from the incursions of the Seljuks of Rum and to reclaim the holy lands. After the fall of the kingdom of Jerusalem in 1291 the order first found refuge in Cyprus, before conquering Rhodes in 1310, from which date it became the home of the Order. Phillibert de Naillac ruled the order wisely and according to one history ""he left the fraternity, at whose head he had been placed for so many years, at union with itself, at peace with its neighbours, and in a most flourishing state of prosperity." [Wokjian 1876, p. 833].

It is not a Greek coin.

In the same month that I purchased this coin I also continued my collection of ancient Greek coins, with examples from Larissa, Caria, Corinth and Metapontion on the way. I have also sought to increase my small collection of roman republican coins. This is not an indication of a loss of focus or interest in Greek coins, nor a reversion to the early days of my collection when purchases were more scattergun, but more a reflection of finding interest in a broader range of historical periods, each one providing the opportunity to explore new historical stories. I also see this tendency in other members of the Irish Numismatic society. Each member is typically known for a specific area of collecting, but each one will also surprise you with something left field, such as an interest in Dutch jetons or agricultural medals. More broadly, numismatics opens up a complete timeline and geography within which there will always be something interesting round the next corner.