Italy 2 lire 1811 M - Napoleon I

The coin's story

This 2 lire coin in 900 thousandths silver belongs to the series struck from 1807 to 1814 for the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy. On 26 May 1805, in Milan, Napoleon crowned himself King of Italy with the Iron Crown of the Lombard kings, exclaiming “God gave it to me, beware whoever touches it”, he entrusted the kingdom to his stepson Eugène de Beauharnais, appointed viceroy. The Kingdom of Italy, tied to France for nine years, collapsed in 1814. The portrait and the arms were engraved by Luigi Manfredini. The type exists with a small head and a raised edge for the early years, then with a large head and an incuse edge, the most common. The 1811 M date was struck in Milan in 520,038 pieces. The edge bears the motto DIO PROTEGGE L'ITALIA (God protects Italy).