Description

William III. and Mary II. 1689-1694. Silver Medal 1690, 28.05 g. Amnesty declared in Ireland. By G. Hautsch. Bust, laureate and draped. WILH . III . D . G . ANG . SCO . FR . ET HIB . REX, DEF . FID. Rv. William standing in Roman dress, crowned with a wreath by Victory, presents an olive branch to the supplicant figure of Hibernia. HIBERNIA RESTITVTA. In exergue: MDCXC. Edge: ARMIS IVNGIT AMOR NVNC TERTIA REGNA DVOLBVS. 40.9 mm. Eimer 331. MI i 721/146. van Loon IV, 12. Saunders/Vanhoudt 1690-45. Vorzüglich / Extremely Fine. Feine Patina / Nicely toned.

From the auction Adolph Hess 261, Zurich, February 1992, lot 1539.

The Williamite War in Ireland took place from March 1689 to October 1691. Fought between Jacobite supporters of James II and those of his successor, William III, it resulted in a Williamite victory. It is generally viewed as a related conflict of the 1688 to 1697 Nine Years' War.

This medal alludes to the declaration of amnesty which William III issued 1690 after his arrival in Dublin. The lettering on the edge implies William's hope to unite a third country, Ireland, alongside England and Scotland.