Portugal - D. Maria II (1834-1853) - Gold - Peça 1833; Degolada; Very Rare; G.17.01, JS M2.1 ; EF

September Revolution. Belenzada (The "Belém Affair"). The Conspiracy of Marnotas. The Marshals' Revolt. The Arsenal Revolt. Maria da Fonte. Ambush. The Patuleia. Regeneration. All these names share one thing in common: turbulence. They "translate" into revolts, uprisings, rebellions and the creation of short-lived political movements. All took place during the reign of Maria II (1829-1853), the first constitutional queen, who only really began to reign from September 1834, after the death of her father, D. Pedro IV. Her reign coincided with the so-called liberal revolution and between 1834 and 1851 "there were at least five successful coups d'état and two civil wars (1837 and 1846-1847). Financial woes also continued, as the value of Portugal's foreign trade contracted", according to the book "História de Portugal", coordinated by Rui Ramos.

However, the political and social turbulence experienced during Maria II's time on the throne did not prevent her from launching some important reforms in the country, whether relating to education or to the economy. In terms of coins, the decimal system was adopted, with Peças being replaced by Coroas. The gold coin that most stands out for its rarity is the Degolada, still a Peça, minted in 1833 and which historically bears this name because on its obverse side there is the head of the queen without a bust. The queen probably did not like the coin and ordered its minting to be suspended, hence its rarity. Queen Maria II also ordered the Coroa, the Half Coroa and the Fifth Coroa to be minted in gold.

It was during her reign that the Banco de Portugal was established in 1846. This resulted from the merger of the Banco de Lisboa, a commercial and issuing bank, and the Companhia Confiança Nacional, an investment company specialised in financing public debt. Despite facing a crisis in public finances, she managed to initiate a major general reform of education, set up secondary schools, reorganise the armed forces, publish a new electoral law and divide the national territory into 17 districts and three adjacent islands.

Born in Rio de Janeiro on 4 April 1819, D. Maria II, who became known to history as The Educator, arrived in Europe in July 1828 to assert her rights to the throne - in 1826 her father abdicated the Crown in her favour and she was to marry her uncle, D. Miguel, who would swear an oath to the Constitutional Charter. The marriage never took place and D. Miguel ended up restoring the absolute monarchy for a while. Alexandre Herculano, Almeida Garrett and Camilo Castelo Branco were some of the most important Portuguese authors who published books during the period in which Queen Maria II reigned.