Description

The Hungarian National Bank issues a gold commemorative coin "Gold Florin of Louis I" as the second piece in the series of Medieval Hungarian gold forints.

Louis I (1326–1382), known as Louis the Great, reigned as King of Hungary and Croatia from 1342 and later became King of Poland from 1370. He inherited a centralized kingdom and a considerable treasury from his father, Charles I of Hungary. Despite being deeply influenced by his devout mother, Elizabeth of Poland, Louis embarked on campaigns to expand his territories, including crusades against the Lithuanians and restoring royal authority in Croatia. He accused his sister-in-law, Queen Joanna I of Naples, of assassinating his brother and launched unsuccessful campaigns against her, adopting the title of King of Sicily and Jerusalem but failing to gain recognition from the Holy See.

Louis ruled Hungary with absolute power but also confirmed the liberties of the nobility in 1351, introducing reforms such as an entail system and rent uniformity for peasants. He waged wars against neighboring states, expanding Hungarian influence in the Balkans and forcing concessions from the Republic of Venice. Despite his efforts to convert pagan or Orthodox subjects to Catholicism, his rule faced opposition in these regions. Louis inherited the Polish throne in 1370 and sought to secure succession rights for his daughters through the Privilege of Koszyce in 1374. Despite these efforts, his rule remained unpopular in Poland. In his final years, suffering from a skin disease, Louis became increasingly religious and supported Urban VI during the Western Schism. He is remembered in Hungarian historiography as one of the most powerful monarchs, overseeing a realm extending to three seas.

Engraver: Tamás E. Soltra