Kingdom of Italy Gold 40 Lire

Emperor Napoleon I (minted 1807-1814)

Scarce XF/AU condition
Featuring Napoleon Bonaparte

The flag of Napoleon’s Kingdom of Italy, featuring the Napoleonic eagle emblem in the center. "I considered Napoleon’s presence in the field equal to forty thousand men in the balance." -- The Duke of Wellington

These beautiful and historic Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy 40 lire gold coins capture a fascinating period in European history. Featuring the classic image of Napoleon Bonaparte as King of Italy on the obverse and the Napoleonic eagle and coat of arms on the reverse, these coins are a “must-have” for military history buffs, European history buffs, and coin collectors alike.

Napoleon’s Kingdom of Italy

After a series of stunning military victories in northern Italy in 1796 and 1797, which launched his career and made his reputation as a great general, Napoleon established the Republic of Italy in 1802, installing himself as president. In 1805, after having assumed the title of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, he transformed this “republic” into the Kingdom of Italy, which covered the whole of the north Italian plain from Milan to Venice, together with the Po valley and the Adriatic coast down to Ancona. He crowned himself King of Italy in Milan’s medieval cathedral, with great pomp and circumstance, and named his stepson Eugène de Beauharnais as Viceroy to rule while he pursued his conquest of Europe.

The Kingdom of Italy was actually little more than a French colony to be exploited for natural resources. It also provided an excellent battlefield for Napoleon’s recurrent skirmishes against Austria. By 1809, France controlled the entire Italian peninsula, but not for long. In 1814, Napoleon abdicated and Eugène was exiled by the Austrians, who overran Milan.

The Genius of the Age

Admired by many as “the greatest man” and “genius” of his age, Napoleon Bonaparte stands alongside Alexander the Great as the most feared and respected military commander in European history. Until his famous defeat by Wellington and the British at Waterloo in 1815, Napoleon dominated European politics and military affairs as no one before him, leading France into its greatest period of glory and importance, only to lose it all to his relentless ambition for even greater power.

The Code Napoleon

Emperor Napoleon was not only a first-rate military strategist but an excellent civil administrator as well. With extraordinary energy, intelligence, and charisma, he devised and enacted fundamental changes in European government and social life that persist even to this day. One of his greatest achievements was the Code Napoleon, or Civil Code, which revised French law to incorporate many of the freedoms gained during the French revolution. The Code introduced the concept of a unified, logical system of laws based on universal principles. Napoleon spread his Code into every country he defeated, helping to eliminate the last vestiges of feudalism throughout Europe. These Kingdom of Napoleon 40 lire coins remind us of Napoleon’s extraordinary impact on Europe. Struck during the height of his power, they underscore the legacy of a man who continues to influence the world in profound ways today, nearly two centuries after this death.

Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy 40 Lire

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Design Specifications

Minted	1807-1814
Gold content	0.3733 oz.
Weight	12.9 grams

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