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Denier - Henry the Lion
| Issuer | Duchy of Saxony |
|---|---|
| Year | 1142-1180 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Central field displays a stylized frontal bust or architectural symbol, possibly a crowned figure or tower motif, surrounded by a beaded inner circle. Partial Latin legend is distributed around the circumference, reading HENRICVS DVX or a fragmentary version thereof, with individual letters interspersed between pellets and decorative elements. The low relief and irregular striking are consistent with hand-hammered production methods of the Brunswick mint under Henry the Lion. The design exhibits the characteristic degenerate style of late 12th-century Saxon pfennig coinage, with flattened details and variable depth of strike. |
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| Additional information |
Henry the Lion ruled Saxony and Bavaria simultaneously at the peak of his power, making him the most territorially dominant prince in the Holy Roman Empire outside the emperor himself. His coinage reflects that authority — the Duchy of Saxony maintained active minting operations across multiple centers during his reign, and the volume and variety of issues attributable to his tenure remain a subject of ongoing scholarly dispute. Jesse and Hävernick catalogued these pieces separately, their reference numbers occasionally overlapping in confusing ways for the same physical type.
Henry's 1180 deposition by Frederick Barbarossa ended his rule abruptly, after which Saxon ducal coinage authority was dismembered and redistributed among lesser princes.