Pfennig - Bernard II Heiligenkreuz

Bernard II of Carinthia, from the Sponheim dynasty, ruled a duchy caught between competing imperial and papal pressures during the reigns of Frederick II and his prolonged conflicts with Rome. Coinage from his tenure reflects the decentralized minting practices of the eastern Alpine duchies, where local ecclesiastical and secular authorities struck small silver issues with minimal oversight from any central authority. Heiligenkreuz — the Holy Cross — as a designation likely references a specific mint site or issuing occasion tied to a religious foundation rather than a generic invocation.