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Denier Bracteate - Henry VI Altenburg
| Issuer | Holy Roman Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1191-1197 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Bracteate type struck on a thin, broad flan with the design appearing in relief on the obverse and as a corresponding incuse impression on the reverse, as is characteristic of the genre. Within a beaded inner circle, the enthroned frontal effigy of Emperor Henry VI is depicted seated, crowned with a turreted or mural crown, wearing a draped imperial mantle. The emperor holds a sceptre in his right hand and an orb or vessel in his left hand, both arms extended laterally in a hieratic, stylized pose. Decorative foliate or scroll-like ornamental elements flank the figure to the left and right of the throne, and small floral or star-shaped motifs appear in the lower field. The overall artistic execution is in the Romanesque tradition, with bold, schematic relief typical of Thuringian bracteate coinage of the late 12th century. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Henry VI's Thuringian bracteates were struck during a reign defined by relentless political overreach — his attempt to make the imperial title hereditary nearly fractured the German princes entirely. The Altenburg mint served as a regional production center for the thin, single-sided pfennig coinage that dominated central German circulation throughout the Hohenstaufen period, a format imposed partly by the silver supply constraints of the era's mining output rather than any deliberate aesthetic choice.
The Fd.Seega reference places this type among finds recovered from the Seega hoard, a deposit context that has anchored much of what numismatists know about Thuringian bracteate chronology.