Philip III, a member of the House of Habsburg and the son of Philip II and his fourth wife, Anna, became king of Spain in 1598. He married Marguerite of Austria, with whom he had eight children. As ruler of the Spanish Empire at its height, he secured a temporary peace with the Dutch (1609–1621) and led Spain into the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) with a highly successful initial campaign. His reign marks a pivotal chapter in Spanish history.
The real was a unit of currency used in Spain and its colonies for centuries. With the discovery of new silver deposits in the Americas, there was a pressing need to ship silver to Spain quickly. Beginning in the reign of Philip II, mints produced irregular hand-cut coins known as cobs—chunks of silver cut and stamped to the appropriate weight. These crude yet accurate coins were designed for easy transport and were melted in Spain to create jewelry, coins, and other items. Each coin has a unique shape and is a one-of-a-kind historical artifact.
