Crusaders. Chios. Maona Society AD 1347-1385. Imitating Venice issue of Andrea Dandolo
Ducat AV

21 mm, 3,49 g

Doge kneeling left, holding staff and being blessed by St. Mark standing right / Christ the Redeemer standing facing within mandorla of nine stars.

Very Fine

Lunardi CS6; cf. CNI VII 37 (for type).

The Maona of Chios and Phocaea was a corporation established by the Republic of Genoa to collect taxes from Chios and Phocaea. Originally comprising Genoese citizens, it later involved local colonists. In return for their investments, the Maona aimed to re-conquer Chios. After its successful conquest, the Maona governed the island, contributing to its prosperity through trade. However, in 1566, the Turks invaded and occupied Chios, ending the Maona's activities. The Ottoman Empire absorbed the island, leading to the downfall of the Genoese Giustiniani family's rule, attributed in part to their association with Christian corsairs and fugitive slaves.