3 Pfennig - Joachim II Hector

Joachim II Hector introduced Lutheranism to Brandenburg in 1539, making his territory one of the earlier princely adoptions of the Reformation — a decision that reshaped the margraviate's political alliances for generations. Small silver pfennig issues of his later reign circulated during a period of significant fiscal strain, partly driven by the extraordinary costs of his court at Berlin, which contemporaries noted was run with a lavishness Brandenburg could not afford. He died in 1571 leaving debts that took his successor decades to resolve.