| Area/Ruler: | Hungary: Bella III |
| Reigned: | 1172 - 1196 AD |
| Denomination: | Islamic style AE |
| Mint: | |
| Obverse: | Arabic inscription |
| Reverse: | Arabic inscription |
| Weight: | 1.5 gms |
| Diameter: | 23 mm |
| Comment: | These coins are tentatively attributed to the reign of Bela III. There are similar coins struck in silver (Huszar 111 or Rethy 109). Nobody knows why and where in Hungary these coins were struck. They are the imitations of Almoravidian dinar; maybe it was an attempt to use them for the Crusaders in Palestine. Their companions are copper coins struck in Byzantine style (Huszar 72). Both types are quite numerous and Islamic types were much counterfeited and it probably led to the dropping of an attempt to introduce bimetalism in Hungary. |
Bella IIIKing Béla III 1173-1196 was the son of Géza II and born in 1150. He greatly extended Hungary to bcome the most powerful King in Europe. He was determined to establish diplomatic relations with Western Europe and after the Pope demanded Hungary contribute with troops to the 3rd Crusade to the Holy Land, thorough preparation started. This is documented by King Bela III's correspondence with the English King Henry II in 1188. The following year Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa left Regensburg for Pressburg with his troops in order to join the Hungarians and define the basic rules of the crusade. |
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