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Pfennig - Louis IV
| Issuer | Bavaria, Duchy of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1340-1347 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Facing crowned bust of Duke Louis IV rendered in bold relief within a raised inner circle, the crown depicted with three prominent fleurons. Flanking the effigy on either side are two raised swords with pointed tips directed downward, serving as heraldic symbols of ducal authority. The face is stylized in the Gothic manner, with pellet eyes and a schematic rendering of facial features characteristic of 14th-century Bavarian bracteate-style coinage. The field is otherwise plain, with no legend or inscription. The flan is irregular, as typical of hammered medieval silver coinage of this period. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A stylized eagle displayed in profile facing right, executed in the low-relief hammered technique characteristic of mid-14th-century Bavarian pfennigs. The eagle's wings are spread and rendered in a schematic, angular Gothic style, with the body and plumage indicated by incised lines and pellets. Small pellets or star-like ornaments are distributed around the periphery of the design, forming a decorative border. The flan is irregular and shows typical striking weakness at the margins. No legend or inscription accompanies the design. |
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| Additional information |
Louis IV — Holy Roman Emperor from 1328, though his reign was defined largely by his protracted conflict with Pope John XXII, who excommunicated him and declared his imperial title void — issued these pfennigs during the final years of his life while simultaneously grappling with the interdict placed on his territories. Ecclesiastical censure had real monetary consequences: regions under interdict faced disrupted trade, and small silver coinage kept local commerce moving when broader financial networks frayed.
The Wittelsbach dynasty had controlled Bavaria since 1180, but Louis's reign marked the family's peak imperial ambition. He died in 1347 on a bear hunt near Munich.