‘Thou shalt not kill’ may well be a core tenet of Christianity, but that didn’t stop medieval military orders popping up all over Europe with the express intention of doing just that. After the fall of the Western Roman (Byzantine) Empire, there came an intense desire to protect Christian lands, and it resulted in the formation of military orders to combat threats. The earliest of them were formed to fight the Normans, but it was the retaking of the formerly Christian lands around Jerusalem that provided the impetus for an increase in numbers.

Eight of the most well-known of them will make up T&S Coin’s new series of two-ounce silver coins, each of whom have their shields on the common obverse encircling the Public Seal of Niue in its centre. I recognise some of them, like the obvious Knights Templar, the Knights Hospitaller, and the Teutonic Knights, but there are others depicted that have several candidates based on colour, which is obviously not shown on the coin. An example is in the 11 position on a clock. This could be the Order of Calatrava, or the Order of Alcantara, whose emblems differed in being red or green. We shall have to wait and see for the full list.

The first coin features the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, which was formed in 1099 by Godfrey of Bouillon following the capture of Jerusalem at the end of the First Crusade. It was tasked with defending the city, and the welfare of the people within it. The Kingdom of Jerusalem eventually fell to the Muslims, but the order continued to aid pilgrims, and remains an active part of the Holy See to this day. The coin depicts a knight on horseback in an elevated position, looking down over a scene of knights and clerics leaving a castle to fight Saladin at the Battle of Hattin in 1187. It was here that they lost the True Cross relic. The horse covering, a caparison, is brightly coloured and gilded, with the order’s symbol prominently displayed.

There’s a lot going on here, and the background scene in particular is well done. The mounted knight in the foreground gives it depth, and that tree arcing around the coin edge, something the artist seems to like on other coins as well, frames it nicely. Overall, a good debut for what could be an impressive series. I’d like to see a wide range of scenes moving forward, and it could encapsulate a fascinating period in history really well. Produced in collaboration with a US partner, SDE, it’s available to order now.