Johann Konrad II von Reinach-Hirzbach served as Prince-Bishop of Basel from 1705 until his death in 1737, presiding over a diocese caught between French ambition and Swiss cantonal politics. The Bishopric's temporal authority had been severely curtailed since the Reformation drove the see from Basel itself to Porrentruy, and small billon issues like this kreuzer were among the few tangible assertions of remaining sovereign coining rights. The mint at Porrentruy was intermittently active under his tenure, and output was modest.
Johann Konrad II von Reinach-Hirzbach served as Prince-Bishop of Basel from 1705 until his death in 1737, presiding over a diocese caught between French ambition and Swiss cantonal politics. The Bishopric's temporal authority had been severely curtailed since the Reformation drove the see from Basel itself to Porrentruy, and small billon issues like this kreuzer were among the few tangible assertions of remaining sovereign coining rights. The mint at Porrentruy was intermittently active under his tenure, and output was modest.