2 Thalers - John Casimir

John Casimir of the Palatinate died in 1592, just two years after this piece was struck, having spent much of his career as a Protestant military entrepreneur — commanding Huguenot-allied forces in France and leading English-subsidized interventions in the Low Countries on behalf of Dutch rebels against Spain. He never held the Electoral title himself, governing instead as Administrator of the Palatinate during the minority of his nephew Frederick IV.

The double thaler format was an assertion of prestige as much as a monetary instrument, and issues from the Palatinate in this period are notably scarce in high relief with full planchet.