1860, Kingdom of Portugal, Peter V. Beautiful Gold 5000 Reis
Mint Year: 1860 Mintage: 52,000 pcs. Denomination: 2000 Reis Reference: Friedberg 147, KM-505. Material: Gold (.917) Diameter: 23.5mm Weight: 8.85gm
Obverse: Head of Peter V of Portugal right. Engraver´s signature at bust´s truncation. Legend: PETRUS . V . PORTUG : ET . ALGARB : REX . 1860 . Reverse: Crowned coat-of-arms of the Portugueze Empire within wreath. Legend: 5000 REIS
Pedro V (English: Peter V; Pedro de Alcântara Maria Fernando Miguel Rafael Gonzaga Xavier João António Leopoldo Vítor Francisco de Assis Júlio Amélio de Saxe-Coburgo-Gotha e Bragança), the Hopeful (Port. o Esperançoso) (16 September 1837 in Lisbon – 11 November 1861 in Lisbon) was King of Portugal from 1853 to 1861.
He was the eldest son of Queen Maria II and her de jure uxoris co-monarch Ferdinand II and was born after his mother’s accession. As heir apparent to the throne he was styled Prince Royal (Príncipe Real), and was also the 19th Duke of Braganza (Duque de Bragança).
Pedro was a conscientious and hard-working monarch who, under the guidance of his father, sought radical modernisation of the Portuguese state and infrastructure. Under his reign, roads, telegraphs, and railways were constructed and improvements in public health advanced. For this he was greatly loved and his popularity further increased when, during the great cholera outbreak he visited hospitals handing out gifts and talking and comforting the sick. He founded the Boarding of Ajuda, meant for the orphans of the noble families.
However, this was unable to save the life of the young king who died (along with his brother Ferdinand and other royal family members) of cholera in 1861. He was much loved and his death was deemed so unnatural that there were actually revolts when he died.
Pedro married Princess Stephanie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, eldest daughter of Karl Anton, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen and Princess Josephine of Baden, by proxy in Berlin on April 29, 1858 and then in person in Lisbon on 18 May 1858. This was a happy (although unconsummated) marriage until Queen Stephanie died a year later from diphtheria. Pedro and Stephanie’s marriage was childless and therefore the Portuguese throne passed to Pedro’s younger brother Louis.