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1/2 Mark - Heinrich von Galen Riga
| Issuer | Livonian Order |
|---|---|
| Year | 1556-1557 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Variable alignment ↺ |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A multi-towered castle gateway, representing the city of Riga, surmounted by crossed keys — the ecclesiastical symbol of the Archbishopric of Riga — all within a beaded inner circle. The date, rendered as two split numerals, appears to either side of the crossed keys or within the legend depending on the die variety. A circular Latin legend surrounding the central device identifies this as a new coin of Riga. |
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| Mintage | 1556 - (15)56; Date at the end of legend - 1556 - (15)56; Date separated by crossed keys - 1556 - (15)56; Date separated by first flag - 1557 - (15)57 - |
| Additional information |
Heinrich von Galen served as Master of the Livonian Order from 1551 until his death in 1557, presiding over a confederation already fracturing under Russian military pressure from the east. Ivan IV's campaigns against Livonia would culminate in the devastating war beginning in 1558 — the year after this issue ends — which effectively destroyed the Order as a territorial power within a decade. Coins struck in Riga under von Galen represent the last years of anything resembling stable Livonian administration.
The Riga mint attribution distinguishes this from contemporaneous Livonian issues struck at Reval and Fellin.