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1 Thaler - John Frederick
| Issuer | Saxony (Ernestinian Line), Electorate of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1552-1553 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | Bare-headed bust of John Frederick the Magnanimous facing left, displaying a prominent scar on the right cheek — a wound sustained at the Battle of Mühlberg (1547). Below the truncation, two small heraldic shields bearing the arms of Electoral and Ducal Saxony are placed side by side in the lower field. The legend, rendered in Latin, runs along the coin's periphery. |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
John Frederick I of Saxony struck these thalers while imprisoned — a captive elector, stripped of his electorship by Charles V after the Schmalkaldic War and the catastrophic defeat at Mühlberg in 1547. He retained his ducal title but was held in imperial custody, and coins issued in his name during 1552–53 reflect the continued administrative function of his remaining territories under the Ernestinian branch. The Capitulation of Wittenberg had cost him everything of political substance, yet the mints kept running.
He died in captivity in 1554, one year after this issue ceased.