Konstanz occupied an unusual position in the late fifteenth century: host city of the Council of Constance (1414–1418), which had ended the Western Schism by deposing three rival popes and electing Martin V, the city retained enough prestige and imperial privilege to mint its own small silver coinage well into the century that followed. These bracteate-style pfennigs circulated primarily within the tight regional economy of the Upper Rhine and Lake Constance basin, competing with issues from Überlingen, Ravensburg, and the Bishop of Constance himself.
Konstanz occupied an unusual position in the late fifteenth century: host city of the Council of Constance (1414–1418), which had ended the Western Schism by deposing three rival popes and electing Martin V, the city retained enough prestige and imperial privilege to mint its own small silver coinage well into the century that followed. These bracteate-style pfennigs circulated primarily within the tight regional economy of the Upper Rhine and Lake Constance basin, competing with issues from Überlingen, Ravensburg, and the Bishop of Constance himself.