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2 Guldiner - Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg
| Issuer | Archbishopric of Salzburg |
|---|---|
| Year | 1538 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 52.82 g |
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| Obverse description | Draped bust of Archbishop Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg facing left, wearing a biretta (burrette), with the Roman numeral date M.D.XXXVIII appearing below the effigy. Two small heraldic shields of arms are positioned within the circumferential Latin legend, dividing it on either side. The portrait is rendered in the bold, high-relief style characteristic of early sixteenth-century Habsburg ecclesiastical coinage. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg was one of the most politically entangled churchmen of the Reformation period — a former imperial secretary to Maximilian I who leveraged court connections into the Salzburg archbishopric in 1519, then spent much of his tenure suppressing Protestant uprisings among his own subjects, including the miners and townspeople who revolted in 1525. That he was issuing heavy multiple-guldiners into his final years speaks to the archbishopric's sustained wealth from Alpine silver mining, which funded both his ecclesiastical administration and his considerable political debts.
The 2 Guldiner format was never a coin of everyday commerce. Pieces of this weight circulated primarily as presentation currency and in bulk silver settlement between merchants and courts.