1 Ducat – Rosenberg dominion
Obverse
Description:
Crowned Orsini-Rosenberg arms with a straight top, rounded bottom, and two outward-facing bear supporters. Features a central snake (absent on some variants), a rose at the top, and surrounding lettering.
Inscription:
PETRVS·WOK·VRS·GVB·DOM·ROSENBERGICÆ·
Script: Latin
Reverse
Description:
Saint Christopher with the infant Jesus on his shoulder, holding a staff, encircled by lettering.
Inscription:
95·MONE·NO·AVREA·REICHTEINENSIS·15·
Script: Latin
Edge
Categories
| Person> Religious figure |
| Symbols> Coat of Arms |
Mints
| Name | Mark |
|---|---|
| Zloty Stok | — |
Mintings
| Year | Mint Mark | Mintage | Quality | Collection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1595 | — | — |
Historical background
In 1595, the Rosenberg Dominion, a vast and semi-autonomous territory in southern Bohemia ruled by the powerful Rožmberk (Rosenberg) family, operated under a complex and often strained monetary system. As part of the Holy Roman Empire, the dominion was officially subject to the imperial currency reforms decreed by the Reichstag. The primary coin was the Reichsthaler, a large silver coin, alongside its subdivisions like Groschen and Kreuzers. However, the authority to mint coins was a prized imperial privilege, and while the Rosenbergs wielded enormous regional power, they did not possess their own official mint, relying instead on imperial and royal mints.
This formal system was frequently undermined by practical realities. The late 16th century was a period of significant currency debasement across Central Europe, as states faced fiscal pressures from the ongoing Ottoman Wars and internal conflicts. Consequently, the dominion was flooded with a mixture of coins of varying silver content and origin—including older domestic issues, coins from neighboring German states, and even foreign currency from trade. This led to chronic confusion, with merchants and officials constantly evaluating and disputating the true value of coins based on their weight, age, and perceived metal content, creating a fertile ground for fraud and economic uncertainty.
Within this challenging framework, the Rosenberg administration, under the leadership of Peter Vok, sought to maintain stability through strict regulation. Market overseers and the dominion’s officials enforced official exchange rates and attempted to control the circulation of severely debased or counterfeit coins. The economic health of the dominion, which relied heavily on its extensive ponds, forests, and silver mines, depended on predictable trade. Thus, the currency situation in 1595 was a daily struggle to impose order on a chaotic imperial monetary landscape, reflecting both the Rosenbergs’ administrative strength and the pervasive fiscal weaknesses of the Holy Roman Empire at the close of the 16th century.
This formal system was frequently undermined by practical realities. The late 16th century was a period of significant currency debasement across Central Europe, as states faced fiscal pressures from the ongoing Ottoman Wars and internal conflicts. Consequently, the dominion was flooded with a mixture of coins of varying silver content and origin—including older domestic issues, coins from neighboring German states, and even foreign currency from trade. This led to chronic confusion, with merchants and officials constantly evaluating and disputating the true value of coins based on their weight, age, and perceived metal content, creating a fertile ground for fraud and economic uncertainty.
Within this challenging framework, the Rosenberg administration, under the leadership of Peter Vok, sought to maintain stability through strict regulation. Market overseers and the dominion’s officials enforced official exchange rates and attempted to control the circulation of severely debased or counterfeit coins. The economic health of the dominion, which relied heavily on its extensive ponds, forests, and silver mines, depended on predictable trade. Thus, the currency situation in 1595 was a daily struggle to impose order on a chaotic imperial monetary landscape, reflecting both the Rosenbergs’ administrative strength and the pervasive fiscal weaknesses of the Holy Roman Empire at the close of the 16th century.
✨ Legendary