1 Thaler - Bernhard of Sachsen-Weimar

Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar struck this thaler during his tenure as administrator of Franconia, a title granted by Sweden following the death of Gustav Adolf at Lützen in November 1632. The Swedish crown needed a reliable Protestant commander to hold the Franconian territories; Bernhard was the expedient choice. His "duchy" was entirely a military fiction — a region under occupation dressed in the language of feudal legitimacy to keep a talented general politically invested in the war.

Bernhard died of plague at Neuenburg am Rhein in July 1639, never having consolidated meaningful civilian control over Franconia. The coinage from his administration is accordingly brief and scarce.