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Heller Bracteate - Louis IV
| Issuer | Hessen-Marburg, Landgraviate of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1567-1604 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | MB#2, Schütz III#536 |
| Obverse description | Single-sided bracteate struck in thin silver sheet, displaying a crowned heraldic shield at center bearing a rampant lion passant to the left, the escutcheon occupying the majority of the field. The initials 'LL' appear prominently above the shield, referencing Landgrave Louis IV of Hessen-Marburg. The entire design is enclosed within a raised beaded or rope-like border typical of late 16th-century German bracteate coinage. The overall relief is shallow and the flan irregular, consistent with hand-hammered production of this denomination. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | LL |
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| Additional information |
Louis IV ruled Hessen-Marburg only because the Landgraviate itself was an artificial construct — created in 1567 when Philip the Magnanimous divided Hessen among his four sons against the explicit advice of his Protestant allies, fracturing one of the most militarily significant territories in the Holy Roman Empire into four weakened halves. Louis received Marburg, the smallest and least viable portion, and the line died with him in 1604, at which point the territory reverted to Hessen-Kassel and Hessen-Darmstadt after bitter dispute.
The bracteate heller sat at the absolute floor of the denomination hierarchy — thin-flan, single-die struck, and produced in quantity precisely because it was worth almost nothing.