5 Ducats Klippe, Siege issue

Magdeburg's 1551 siege coinage emerged from one of the most protracted urban conflicts of the Reformation era. After Charles V placed the city under the Imperial Ban in 1547 following its refusal to accept the Augsburg Interim, Magdeburg held out for years — becoming a refuge for Protestant preachers and a symbol of confessional resistance. Emergency klippe issues like this one were struck from whatever bullion the city could command, the square format a practical consequence of cutting sheet metal rather than using prepared round flans.

Korchnak remains the primary reference for Magdeburg siege issues, and #357 at this weight represents one of the heavier multiducat denominations from the series.