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1 Ducat - Christian, Bischof of Halberstadt Pfaffenfeinddukat
| Issuer | Bishopric of Halberstadt |
|---|---|
| Year | 1622 |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Five-line central inscription in the field reading GOTTES / FREINT / VND / DER PAFFE / FEINT, meaning 'Friend of God and Enemy of the Priests,' a defiant Protestant declaration by Administrator Christian of Brunswick. The central legend is enclosed within a beaded inner circle, with a continuous outer legend in Latin identifying the issuer surrounding the circumference. The lettering is boldly struck in the hammered style typical of early 17th-century German gold coinage. |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Christian of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Administrator of Halberstadt from 1616, was one of the most belligerent Protestant commanders of the Thirty Years' War. He reportedly wore a gauntlet on his hat with the motto "Friend of God, enemy of priests" — hence the popular name Pfaffenfeinddukat, the "priest-enemy ducat." The coin was struck in 1622, the same year he suffered a decisive defeat at the Battle of Höchst against Tilly's Catholic League forces, retreating across the Rhine with catastrophic losses.
He financed his campaigns partly by melting church plate seized from Catholic institutions across the diocese he nominally administered.