Obverse: Rei Amador – On 9 July 1595, Rei Amador and his people, the Angolars, allied with other enslaved Africans of its plantations, marched into the interior woods and battled against the Portuguese. It is said that Rei Amador and his followers raised a flag in front of the settlers and Rei Amador was proclaimed as king of São Tomé and Príncipe, and calling himself “Rei Amador, liberator of all the black people”.
On 4 January 1596, Rei Amador was captured, sent to prison and was later executed by the Portuguese. Still today, he is remembered fondly and considered a national hero of the islands.