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4 Ducats - Charles II of Liechtenstein-Kastelkorn
| Issuer | Bishopric of Olomouc (Kingdom of Bohemia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1672-1678 |
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| Value | 4 Ducats (8) |
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| Obverse description | Draped bust of Bishop Karl II (Charles II of Liechtenstein-Kastelkorn) facing right, contained within a beaded or leaved inner circle that is not interrupted by the effigy. A Latin legend surrounds the portrait, commencing at 12 o'clock, identifying the subject as Bishop of Olomouc, Duke, and Prince of the Holy Roman Empire. The portrait is rendered in a typical high-Baroque style consistent with 17th-century Bohemian ecclesiastical coinage. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A large heraldic shield bearing the composite coat of arms of the Bishopric of Olomouc occupies the central field, surmounted by a smaller escutcheon displaying the personal arms of the Liechtenstein-Kastelkorn family. Above the shields, ecclesiastical and sovereign insignia are displayed: a crozier, a mitre, a crown, and a sword. A Latin legend encircles a beaded inner circle, commencing at 12 o'clock, with the divided date appearing at the conclusion of the inscription. The reverse typifies the elaborate armorial compositions found on Baroque-period German ecclesiastical gold coinage. |
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| Additional information |
Charles II of Liechtenstein-Kastelkorn governed the Bishopric of Olomouc through one of the most aggressive Counter-Reformation campaigns in Moravia, using episcopal revenues — and the prestige of high-denomination gold — to fund Catholic restoration across a region still fractured by the Thirty Years' War's aftermath. The 4-ducat denomination was never a circulating coin in any practical sense; pieces of this weight and fineness were diplomatic gifts, presentation strikes, and instruments of political theatre between ecclesiastical and imperial courts.
Olomouc had only recently recovered from Swedish occupation, which lasted until 1650 — the longest foreign garrison on Bohemian Crown territory after the Peace of Westphalia.