Denier Bracteate - Hermann I

Hermann I, the first Bishop of Dorpat, received his see in 1224 following the Livonian Crusade's consolidation of the region under the Sword Brothers. His coinage authority derived directly from that military conquest — the bishopric itself was carved out of subdued Estonian territory, and these bracteates functioned as much as instruments of colonial monetary policy as everyday exchange. At 0.13 g, they represent the extreme lower boundary of viable silver coinage, struck on foil-thin flans prone to cracking along die edges.