This year is marked with the 1,200th anniversary of the death of Charles the Great, Frankian king, Duke of Bavaria and the first mediaeval Roman Emperor.

This great historic figure is linked with the origins of Europe, transformed by Christianity into a civilised space of emerging states opening to culture and education. The Europe of his time was different from Europe as we know it today, and yet today's Europe is based on the foundations he laid and turns to his throne in Aachen as to a symbol of European unity.

The silver commemorative Smart coin Charles the Great is issued in a limited edition of a mere 1,000 pieces. It is an extraordinary emission of the Czech Mint, the first of the series Coins of Three Emperors. The artistic design was prepared in the workshop of the top academic sculptor Vladimír Oppl. On the reverse side the author shows a portrait of Charles the Great inspired by his bust displayed in the Aachen cathedral where the throne of this first Roman Emperor is situated. On the obverse side there is a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. It is interesting to note that the British Queen is a descendant of Charles the Great of 41st generation in the line including Charles IV.

Three Emperors Coin Series
In the context of the anniversaries of the coming years 2014 - 2016 personalities of three European monarchs connected by name and Christian tradition come to our attention: Charles the Great, Charles IV and Charles I of Austria. These three sovereigns deriving their name and dignity from the word Carolus, i.e. Charles and King in one, stand at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the more than a thousand year long history of Europe and despite the many dark stains on the face of the age they are linked with the light of the heritage of the spirit, the faith, the tradition and the blood.

The Czech Mint prepares a limited collector edition of three pairs of coins with portraits of these great figures of European history. The coins will be issued one by one in the period 2014 – 2016.