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1 Schilling - Johannes VI Bey Curvy shields, sword right, key left and up
| Issuer | Bishopric of Dorpat |
|---|---|
| Year | 1528-1539 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Central field displays two curvilinear, interlocking shields arranged side by side within a beaded inner circle, rendered in a late medieval Gothic heraldic style typical of Baltic ecclesiastical coinage. The shields bear the arms of the Bishopric of Dorpat, executed in low relief with characteristic hammered irregularity. A floral or foliate ornamental border frames the inner device, with decorative elements filling the spaces between the legend and the central motif. The surrounding legend in uncial Latin characters reads DOMI · IOHA · EL · TA, abbreviating Dominus Johannes Elector Darpatensis. The flan is irregular and slightly convex, consistent with hand-struck billon schillings of the Livonian ecclesiastical mints of the early sixteenth century. |
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| Reverse script | Latin (uncial) |
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| Additional information |
The Bishopric of Dorpat occupied an increasingly precarious position through the 1520s and 1530s, caught between the advancing Reformation — which had already swept through much of Livonia's urban population — and the military pressure of Muscovy to the east. Johannes VI Bey held the see from 1528 until his death in 1543, and his coinage reflects the diocese's continued effort to maintain independent monetary authority even as the political structure of the Livonian Confederation was visibly fracturing. The low silver content of these schillings was not unusual for the period; billon coinage had been retreating in fineness across the Baltic region for decades.