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1 Guldengroschen - Albert IV of Brandenburg
| Issuer | Archbishopric of Magdeburg |
|---|---|
| Year | 1537-1542 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A quartered heraldic shield of complex ornate form bearing the four-fold arms of the Archbishopric of Magdeburg, with three smaller subsidiary shields of arms arranged in a two-over-one configuration at the center. A patriarchal cross and a cardinal's hat are displayed above the shield. The composition is characteristic of high ecclesiastical heraldic display on German Renaissance Thaler coinage, with the legend encircling the entire design. |
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| Additional information |
Albert of Brandenburg held simultaneously the Archbishoprics of Magdeburg and Mainz, plus the Bishopric of Halberstadt — a concentration of ecclesiastical office that made him one of the wealthiest and most politically exposed figures in the early Reformation. He was the very prelate to whom Johann Tetzel reported during his indulgence-selling campaigns, the proximate cause of Luther's Ninety-Five Theses. That these large silver coins were struck under his authority during the 1537–1542 window places them squarely within the period of his desperate financial maneuvering to retire debts owed to the Fugger banking house.