The story of the "Vego" coins“
We've often heard of children teasing each other for various reasons, and sometimes even children trying to annoy someone older or more important. All of this is quite normal and commonplace in our daily lives. But when we look back at history, we sometimes find that even major powers have followed the same path. And that's today's story: the story of the "Vego" coins.
In 1702, Queen Anne inherited the throne of England, but this was not all she inherited. She also inherited bitter foreign conflicts with the great European powers of the time: Spain and France…
The war – like all wars before and after it – was extremely costly, and Spain relied on gold and silver extracted from its colonies in the New World (North America) to finance the war effort. England quickly realized this and sent a fleet that cut off the communication routes between the American ports and Spain, making the road perilous for three whole years.
After a while, Spain and France finally managed to assemble a strong escort fleet, and the ships, loaded with treasures, set out under the protection of 56 naval vessels, all heading to the port of Cadiz in Spain.
At the same time, a fierce battle was taking place in Cadiz, which ended in a humiliating defeat for the English fleet. However, due to the seriousness of the overall situation, orders were issued to the Golden Fleet to completely avoid the Cadiz area and head to the port of Vigo until things calmed down.
The remnants of the defeated English fleet learned of the ships loaded with gold… The temptation was too strong to resist, so the English admiral ordered a search until the Spanish fleet heading to Vigo was spotted and tracked.
The battle was short and sudden, lasting only two hours, and the Spanish treasure fell into England's hands. The result was England seizing the gold and silver, destroying the French fleet, and capturing most of the Spanish fleet's ships.
Upon the arrival of the treasure in England, the Spanish coins were melted down and re-minted as English coins bearing the Queen's image. As a final blow to Spain, the Director of the Mint suggested adding the word "Vigo" beneath the Queen's head so that the world would forever remember the story of these coins and how the English fleet transformed its defeat into a magnificent victory. It suffices to mention that King Peter II of Portugal, who had been allied with the Spanish, upon seeing the English coins, decided to dissolve his alliance and forge a new one with the rising global power: England.
This form of using circulating currency in military propaganda was the first of its kind in history and was a resounding success, as it contributed to introducing England to the world as a great naval power, to the point that when the same scenario was repeated 43 years later during the reign of King George II, he decided to melt down the spoils of the battles of Lima and add the word to his own currency as well.
It remains to mention that the director of the Mint, the man who suggested adding the word “Figo” to the coins, was none other than the famous English scientist “Isaac Newton”!
Moheb Rizkalla
