Seal of Latin Emperor Henry of Flanders (DO BZS.1958.106.636)
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2023-01-17T14:41:31-08:00
41.03088613850273, 28.980563018227038
By Alexandra Berardelli '25
The crusaders of the Fourth Crusade (1202-1204) defeated the Byzantine Empire, based in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) and founded the Latin Empire in its place. This seal belonged to the second Latin Emperor, Henry of Flanders, who ruled the Latin Empire in Constantinople from 1206 to 1216. This seal was used for protecting and authenticating imperial documents.
This seal articulates the Latin emperor's religious and military authority in the crusader world. The obverse displays the emperor, wearing a crown and imperial garments, sitting on a throne holding a cross-headed scepter and a globus cruciger (the cross-bearing orb), with the Greek inscription, ερρɩκοσ δεσποτης ("Henry, despotes"). On the reverse side, the emperor is in a military stance, in armor on horseback, holding a sword and shield, with the Latin inscription, Henricus Dei gratia imperator Romanie ("Henry, by the Grace of God, emperor of the Roman realm"). The circular image of the ruler on horseback surrounded by his title in Latin recalls the representation of Richard the Lionheart on the Chertsey tiles. The combination of both Latin and Greek text suggests that the coin was meant for a multilingual audience.
