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Obol Bracteate - Henry V of Brunswick
| Issuer | Palatinate of the Rhine |
|---|---|
| Year | 1195-1210 |
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| Reference(s) | Bonh#1725, Slg. Memme#2102 |
| Obverse description | Bracteate type struck on a thin, broad flan with an irregular edge characteristic of the period. Central field displays a frontal enthroned figure, identified as Henry V of Brunswick, depicted in schematic medieval style wearing a crown. The ruler is shown holding regalia, with stylized drapery rendered in the flat, linear manner typical of late 12th-century German bracteate coinage. The design is surrounded by a pronounced inner border of raised pellets, with the flan edge showing the natural irregular contour inherent to hammered bracteate production. No legend is present; the composition relies entirely on the figural motif for identification. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Henry V of Brunswick ruled the Palatinate of the Rhine as Count Palatine from 1195 until his death in 1227, holding the title through his marriage to Agnes of the Hohenstaufen line — a dynastic connection that placed him squarely within the turbulent imperial politics surrounding the Hohenstaufen-Welf succession conflict. Bracteates of this type were struck at a moment when the Rhine Palatinate sat between competing claimants to the German throne, Otto IV and Philip of Swabia, and regional lords were minting aggressively to assert local authority.
The obol denomination — half a pfennig — reflects the practical small-change economy of the medieval Rhineland rather than any ceremonial function.