1 Goldgulden - John George I

John George I ruled Saxony through the catastrophic opening decades of the Thirty Years' War, yet spent much of the conflict's early phase hedging — famously refusing to commit to the Protestant Union until Swedish intervention made neutrality untenable. His electorate's economy was repeatedly strained by troop movements, forced contributions, and the 1631 sack of Magdeburg on his own doorstep. That this goldgulden was struck continuously across 26 years reflects the mint's stubborn output despite wartime disruption to Saxon trade routes.