Medal - Capture of Morro Castle in Havana
1763 year| Silver | 54.49 g | 49.4 mm |
| Location | Spain |
|---|---|
| King | Charles III (1759-1788) |
| Period | Seven Years War (1756-1763) |
| Type | Commemorative medals › Military medals |
| Year | 1763 |
| Composition | Silver |
| Weight | 54.49 g |
| Diameter | 49.4 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Technique | Milled |
| Demonetized | Yes |
| Updated | 2024-11-13 |
| Numista | N#118704 |
|---|---|
| Rarity index | 100% |
Reverse
The explosion which essentially ended the conflict.
Script: Latin
Lettering:
IN MORRO GLIT VOR FVNCT
ARTIVM ACADEMIA
CAROLO REGE CATHOL
ANNVENTE CONS
A MDCCLXIII
Comment
The Morro Castle is widely considered to be the most artistic Betts medal of the Seven Years War and it certainly is the most dramatic. It was issued by Spain to honor Luis de Velasco and Vicenzo Gonzalez, the commanders of Castillo de los Tres Reyes Magos del Morro, the castle which guarded the entrance to Havana Bay in Cuba. In 1762, the British besieged Morro Castle with over 30,000 men. During the siege, Velasco and Gonzalez refused repeated opportunities to surrender, dying alongside their men in hand-to-hand combat after the British successfully undermined one of the fort's bastions and stormed into the breach. The obverse of the medal features busts of the fallen commanders, while the reverse graphically depicts the explosion which essentially ended the conflict.
VQR #14101, Villena #25
