Mojmir I, ruler of Great Moravia
€100 gold collector coin
Mojmir I was the first known ruler of the Moravian Slavs and eponym of the House of Mojmir. It is not known when he was born, nor when he became ruler. By AD 831, however, he was clearly already using his power to Christianise the Principality of Moravia, since in that year he, his family and entourage members, and other leading Moravians were baptised by Bishop Reginhar of Passau. Mojmir’s principality was bordered on the east by the Principality of Nitra, ruled by Pribina. In 833 Mojmir drove Pribina from Nitra and annexed Pribina’s lands to Moravia. Mojmir thus consolidated his power and used it to support the process of Christianisation in both societies. This was a key development in the societies’ transition from pre-state entities to a single state with an absolute ruler. Great Moravia was the first state in the history of the Slovak nation. Mojmir’s reign ended with his death in 846.
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Description of the coin
Obverse:
The coin’s obverse design is divided into four quarters by a cross whose upper arm is filled with a sequence of circular decorative elements. Two plaques from a Moravian-era portable altar found at Bojná are depicted in the upper half of the coin, one in each quadrant. The lower arm of the cross is overlaid with the Slovak coat of arms, positioned between two symmetrically tilted Great Moravian crosses. The name of the issuing country ‘SLOVENSKO’ is inscribed along the lower edge of the design, while the year of issuance ‘2019’ appears at the top. The currency denomination ‘100’ and the currency name ‘EURO are inscribed on, respectively, the left and right arms of the cross, and they are separated by a circular decorative element. At the end of the left arm there are two marks: the mint mark of the Kremnica Mint (Mincovňa Kremnica), consisting of the letters ‘MK’ placed between two dies; and the mark of the designer, Miroslav Schovanec.Reverse:
The reverse design depicts an imagined portrait of Mojmir I, ruler of Great Moravia, set against a background of decorative engraving. To the left of the portrait is the year ‘833’ when the reign of Mojmir I began, and to the right is the year ‘846’, when it ended. The inscription ‘VEĽKOMORAVSKÉ KNIEŽA MOJMÍR I.’ (Great Moravian prince, Mojmir I) appears in semicircle along the edge of the design, running down from the upper left and back up to the upper right. Along the rest of the design’s upper edge is a sequence of decorative circular elements.
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Coin details
Designer: Miroslav Schovanec Composition: .900 gold, .75 silver, .25 copper Weight: 9.5 g Diameter: 26 mm Edge: milled Producer: Kremnica Mint Engraver: Dalibor Schmidt Issuing volume: 4,100 coins in proof quality Issuing date: 18 November 2019