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1 Thaler - John Frederick and Moritz
| Issuer | Saxony (Ernestinian Line), Electorate of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1542-1547 |
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| Value | 1 Thaler |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Half-length armored figure of Duke Moritz of Saxony facing right, depicted in three-quarter military dress. The circumferential Latin legend, incorporating the date divided across the field, is interrupted at four equidistant points by small shields of arms. The mint master's mark appears within the legend, identifying the specific striking authority, a common practice in Albertine and Ernestinian Saxon coinage of this period. |
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| Reverse lettering | MAURI.D VX.SAX .FI.IVS. (Date) ANB |
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| Additional information |
John Frederick I and his cousin Moritz co-ruled Saxony under a joint administration that was, in practice, a deeply uneasy arrangement. John Frederick held the electorate; Moritz governed the Albertine territories. The tension resolved catastrophically at the Battle of Mühlberg in April 1547, where Moritz — having sided with Emperor Charles V against the Schmalkaldic League — delivered the military intelligence that led directly to John Frederick's capture. Charles stripped John Frederick of the electoral dignity on the spot and transferred it to Moritz.
Thalers struck under their joint names therefore span precisely that window of nominal cooperation before the betrayal, making 1547 pieces the terminal issue of a politically doomed partnership.