Zierikzee was blockaded by Spanish forces under Mondragon from late 1575 into 1576, cutting the island of Schouwen-Duiveland off entirely. The town's garrison and civil authorities, unable to access the mint at Middelburg, improvised coinage from pewter — a material normally reserved for domestic wares — to pay troops and maintain some semblance of monetary function under siege conditions. Klippe format was adopted out of necessity, not convention; square flans were simply faster to produce without proper coining equipment.
Zierikzee ultimately surrendered in July 1576 after the relief fleet failed to break the Spanish blockade.
Zierikzee was blockaded by Spanish forces under Mondragon from late 1575 into 1576, cutting the island of Schouwen-Duiveland off entirely. The town's garrison and civil authorities, unable to access the mint at Middelburg, improvised coinage from pewter — a material normally reserved for domestic wares — to pay troops and maintain some semblance of monetary function under siege conditions. Klippe format was adopted out of necessity, not convention; square flans were simply faster to produce without proper coining equipment.
Zierikzee ultimately surrendered in July 1576 after the relief fleet failed to break the Spanish blockade.