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| Double Souverain d'or Gold coin |
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| Gold Sovrano |
Obverse: Laureate head of Joseph II right. Mint inital (A) of the Vienna mint below.
Legend: IOSEPH . II . D . G. IMP . S . A . GE . HIE . HV . BO . REX .
Reverse: Crowned oval arms within collar of the Golden Fleece Order. Cross of St. Andrew in background.
Legend: ARCH . AVST . DVX . BVRG . LOTH . BRAB . COM . FLAN . 1786 .
Mint Place: Vienna (A)
References: Friedberg 444, Jaeckel 45, KM-33. R!
Weight: 11.11 gram of Gold (.919) = 0.3268 oz. AGW
Diameter: 29 mm
The Austrian Netherlands which corresponds roughly to present day Belgium, came into being on 11th April 1713, when the Treaty of Utrecht awarded the lands to Austria as part settlement following the war with Spain. It passed to France in 1795, was part of the Kingdom of Netherlands from 1815 to 1830, and became the present day Belgium as the result of the revolution of 1830 against William I, Prince of Orange and King of the Netherlands.
The souverain d'or was struck under Maria Theresia's successors until 1798, when the Austrian Netherlands was occupied by the French.