20 Kreuzers - Francis Louis of Erthal

Francis Louis of Erthal held the sees of both Würzburg and Bamberg simultaneously from 1779, an accumulation of ecclesiastical territory that gave him unusual political weight within the Franconian Circle. His reign coincided with the reformist pressures of Josephinism radiating outward from Vienna, and he navigated those tensions by selectively adopting Enlightenment administrative reforms while preserving episcopal prerogatives. The Bishopric's coinage during this window reflects a functioning territorial mint still operating with full sovereign rights — rights that would survive only until the secularization of 1803.