2 Thalers - Frederick William I and John II

This double thaler was struck jointly in the names of Frederick William I and his brother John II, who ruled Saxe-Weimar together under the partition arrangements that characterized Ernestine Saxon territories throughout the sixteenth century. The Ernestine line, having lost the electoral dignity to the Albertines after the Schmalkaldic War of 1547, subsequently fragmented into a bewildering succession of co-rulerships and sub-divisions — Saxe-Weimar being one of the more stable configurations to emerge from that process.

Double thalers of this period served primarily as presentation and trade pieces rather than everyday currency. The 1586 date places this coin just two years before Frederick William's death in 1602 — John outlived him considerably, eventually ruling alone until 1605.