10 Thalers - Charles II

Charles II of Brunswick was one of the most reviled German rulers of the nineteenth century. His erratic, despotic behavior so alienated the population that in September 1830 — sparked partly by news of the July Revolution in Paris — a mob burned the ducal palace to the ground while fire brigades stood by and watched. Charles fled into exile and was formally deposed by his own brother Wilhelm, who proved a considerably more stable successor. These 10-Thaler pieces were struck in the final years before that collapse, making them among the last gold issues produced under a reign that ended in arson rather than abdication.