Frederick II issued this pfennig from Hagenau — one of his favored Alsatian residences and a key Hohenstaufen administrative center — during a reign that saw near-constant conflict between imperial authority and the German princes. The Hagenau mint was among several imperial mints Frederick relied upon as he shifted his court between Sicily, Italy, and the German territories, rarely staying north of the Alps long enough to consolidate stable monetary administration.
The Nessel reference places it firmly within the bracteate-adjacent regional coinage of the upper Rhine valley.
Frederick II issued this pfennig from Hagenau — one of his favored Alsatian residences and a key Hohenstaufen administrative center — during a reign that saw near-constant conflict between imperial authority and the German princes. The Hagenau mint was among several imperial mints Frederick relied upon as he shifted his court between Sicily, Italy, and the German territories, rarely staying north of the Alps long enough to consolidate stable monetary administration.
The Nessel reference places it firmly within the bracteate-adjacent regional coinage of the upper Rhine valley.