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Denier - Berenguer de Wetterau
| Issuer | Bishopric of Basel |
|---|---|
| Year | 1057-1072 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central cross set within a quadrilobe (quatrefoil) frame, all enclosed by a beaded circle. The field beyond the inner circle features radiating linear hatching. The letters 'E' and 'P' appear in the lower field flanking the quadrilobe, likely referencing the episcopal title. The overall design is characteristic of Rhenish ecclesiastical deniers of the mid-eleventh century, struck by hand using crude dies. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | EP |
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| Additional information |
Berenguer served as Bishop of Basel during a period of acute tension between the imperial episcopate and the papacy that would culminate, just years after his death, in the Investiture Controversy. His authority to strike coinage derived directly from imperial grant — Henry IV confirmed the minting rights of Basel as part of the broader system by which the Salian emperors bound German bishops to the crown. The diocese's mint at this period was producing for a local economy still largely dependent on deniers of inconsistent weight, which partly explains the variation collectors encounter across surviving examples.