Denier Bracteate - Henry I of Biengarten

Hersfeld Abbey's minting rights derived from an imperial grant, and the abbots exercised them aggressively during the investiture conflicts of the twelfth century, when ecclesiastical mints across Saxony and Thuringia proliferated as central authority fractured. Henry I of Biengarten's abbacy fell squarely within this period of expansion. Bracteates of this type — thin, wide, struck on a single die — were the dominant coinage form across central Germany by the mid-twelfth century, replacing thicker double-sided deniers as silver supplies thinned and minting technology adapted accordingly.

The 37mm diameter is toward the larger end for Hersfeld issues of this abbacy, suggesting an early striking before the flans contracted in later production runs.