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4 Ducats - Johann Christian and Georg Rudolf
| Issuer | Duchy of Liegnitz-Brieg (Silesia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1621 |
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| Reference(s) | FuS#1547 |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Ornate quartered coat of arms of the Piast dukes of Liegnitz and Brieg, incorporating the Silesian eagle and the characteristic chequered pattern of the Piast dynasty, displayed on an elaborately mantled heraldic shield. Above the shield is a crowned helm surmounted by a further crowned eagle displayed, while a Silesian eagle supporter appears to the left. The entire composition is enclosed within a beaded inner border. The surrounding Latin legend DVC SIL LIGNIC ET BREGE identifies the rulers as Dukes of Silesia, Liegnitz, and Brieg, with the date 1621 appearing to the left of the shield. |
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| Reverse lettering | DVC SIL LIGNIC ET BREGE 1621 |
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| Additional information |
The 1621 date places this coin squarely at the outbreak of the Thirty Years' War, when Silesia's Protestant estates were scrambling to assert autonomy against Habsburg pressure following the Battle of White Mountain the previous November. Johann Christian and Georg Rudolf were brothers ruling jointly under the Piast dynasty's final Silesian line — a co-rulership arrangement that produces the dual portrait issues collectors now chase. Large gold multiples like this four-ducat piece were almost certainly struck for presentation rather than commerce, distributed as diplomatic gifts or court largesse rather than ever passing through a merchant's hands.
FuS 1547 is among the rarer die pairings in the Liegnitz-Brieg sequence for this year.