Pfennig - Hildebrand I

Hildebrand I von Riedmatten served as Bishop of Sion through some of the most turbulent decades of the Reformation in the Valais, navigating intense pressure from Protestant Bernese neighbors while maintaining Catholic authority over the diocese. The Bishopric retained the right to strike coinage — a privilege dating back to imperial grant — even as its temporal power was increasingly contested by the Seven Dizains, the regional communes that controlled much of secular governance in the canton.

Billon issues of this type circulated alongside a chaotic mix of foreign coin, particularly Savoyard and Bernese pieces flooding the valley markets.