Sterling - Bernard III Lemgo mint

Bernard III of Lippe ruled during a period when the sterling penny — derived from English and Flemish commercial models — was spreading rapidly through the Rhine and Westphalian trading networks. The Lemgo mint, granted town rights in 1190, served as the economic anchor of the county, and Bernard's decision to strike in this format reflects direct engagement with the long-distance cloth and commodity trade routes cutting through Lower Saxony. His reign ended with his death on crusade in 1265, leaving the county's minting program to successors who largely abandoned the sterling type.