Frederick the Handsome's reign was defined almost entirely by his rivalry with Louis IV of Bavaria, culminating in Frederick's capture at the Battle of Mühldorf in 1322. He spent years as Louis's prisoner before an unusual arrangement saw him released on the condition he either persuade his own brother to stand down or return to captivity — he returned. Coins struck under his authority circulated through a duchy whose political position was deeply unstable for nearly the entire period this type was produced.
Frederick the Handsome's reign was defined almost entirely by his rivalry with Louis IV of Bavaria, culminating in Frederick's capture at the Battle of Mühldorf in 1322. He spent years as Louis's prisoner before an unusual arrangement saw him released on the condition he either persuade his own brother to stand down or return to captivity — he returned. Coins struck under his authority circulated through a duchy whose political position was deeply unstable for nearly the entire period this type was produced.