1 Thaler - Wolfgang William

Wolfgang William converted to Catholicism in 1613 — a calculated move to secure his claim to the Jülich-Cleves inheritance dispute, one of the most contested succession crises in pre-Thirty Years' War Germany. The conversion alienated his Protestant neighbors and pulled Palatinate-Neuburg firmly into the Catholic Imperial orbit. This thaler dates to 1622, deep into the Kipper und Wipperzeit, the currency debasement catastrophe that swept the Empire as rulers and minters systematically degraded coinage to fund military expenditure. Full-weight silver thalers became objects of hoarding almost immediately upon issue.