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1 Thaler - Kristóf Báthori
| Issuer | Transylvania, Principality of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1580 |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | Central shield-shaped coat of arms displaying the Báthori family device of three wolf's teeth arranged diagonally on a granulated field, supported by elaborate foliate and strapwork mantling on either side. A princely crown surmounts the shield, beneath which a curved banderole bears the date 1·5·8·0 in raised relief. The abbreviated legend C·B·D·S· (Christophorus Bathori de Somlio) is inscribed in the upper arc above the crown. The overall composition is rendered in a bold, late Renaissance heraldic style characteristic of Transylvanian mint production of the period. |
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| Reverse description | The reverse of this Thaler issued under Christopher Báthori, Prince of Transylvania, typically displays a full-length armored equestrian figure of the prince on horseback, with a Latin circumscription citing his full titles and dominions. The field is plain, and the legend references his role as Voivode of Transylvania and lord of surrounding territories. The die work reflects the artisanal hammered technique of the Transylvanian mint at Nagyszeben (Sibiu) or Gyulafehérvár (Alba Iulia). Fine details of armour and horse trappings are rendered in a style consistent with Central European Thaler coinage of the late sixteenth century. |
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| Additional information |
Kristóf Báthori ruled Transylvania as voivode under the nominal suzerainty of his brother István, who had departed in 1576 to take the Polish-Lithuanian throne. The arrangement was deliberately ambiguous — Kristóf governed in practice with near-princely authority but never held the title officially, a political fiction designed to satisfy both the Ottoman Porte and the Transylvanian estates simultaneously. He died in 1581, leaving the principality to his ten-year-old son Zsigmond.
The 1580 thalers were struck in the final year of Kristóf's life, almost certainly at the Nagybánya mint.