1 Carolin - Charles Alexander

Charles Alexander of Württemberg was a Catholic convert ruling a predominantly Protestant duchy, a tension that defined his brief reign from 1733 until his sudden death in 1737. His gold coinage was partly a statement of dynastic ambition — he harbored expansionist designs and maintained expensive military commitments as an Imperial field marshal. The Carolin denomination itself was a south German gold unit tied to the 9-guilder convention, intended to compete with the French louis d'or in regional commerce.

Charles Alexander died unexpectedly in March 1737, mid-conspiracy — his death interrupted a plot by his adviser Joseph Süß Oppenheimer to convert Württemberg to Catholicism by force. Oppenheimer was arrested the same day and executed the following year.