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1/2 Mark - Hermann von Brüggeneye and Wilhelm von Brandenburg Riga
| Issuer | Livonia and Riga |
|---|---|
| Year | 1547 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Central quartered shield bearing the arms of the Livonian Order — alternating quarters displaying a cross pattée and horizontal barry stripes — enclosed within a beaded inner circle. The shield is rendered in a bold late-medieval heraldic style. A continuous circular Latin legend surrounds the shield in the outer ring, reading clockwise and separated by pellet stops. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central quartered shield displaying the combined arms of the Archbishopric of Riga and the Margraviate of Brandenburg, flanked by foliate or figural supporters. The date 1547 is divided by the shield, with the numerals 4 and 7 (representing the last two digits) placed in the left and right fields respectively. A continuous circular Latin legend in the outer ring surrounds the composition, separated by pellet stops. |
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| Additional information |
This joint issue reflects the unusual administrative reality of mid-16th century Livonia, where the Livonian Order's Master and the Archbishop of Riga exercised overlapping and frequently contested authority over the same territory. Hermann von Brüggeneye served as Landmeister from 1535 until his death in 1549, while Wilhelm von Brandenburg — a Hohenzollern appointee — held the archbishopric from 1539. The two men were often at political odds, making coinage bearing both their names a product of forced cooperation rather than alliance.
1547 was among the last years of relative Livonian stability before Ivan IV's campaigns dismantled the confederation entirely.