1/2 Mark - Hermann von Brüggeneye and Wilhelm von Brandenburg Riga

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.