Startpage Charles V TOUR :   Philip the Magnanimous of Hesse

      Contemporaries in the Holy Roman Empire      


Frederick III the Wise,  Duke of Saxony and Elector 1486-1525
on coins
*1463. Duke Frederick the Wise of Saxony was imperial elector and imperial governor when the emperor was absent or his position vacant. He became candidate of the church party for the imperial election, but voted for Charles as emperor in 1519. He set up the so-called "Election Capitulation", in which Charles had to agree to numerous restrictions of his imperial power. Frederick was a humanist and founded the University of Wittenberg, birthplace of the Reformation. The pious and tolerant ruler protected and supported Luther, without ever converting to his doctrine.



Guldengroschen (1st "Klappmützentaler"), n.d. (1500), Annaberg.     Ø 43mm   29g.
Schnee 1, Keilitz 4, Dav.9705
Obv.:   FRIDERICVS – ¤ALBERTV – S ல IOH – ANNES ல –
"Frederick Albert John" interrupted by the arms of the Electoral Duchy of Saxony (top), Duchy of Saxony (right), Meissen and Thuringia (left);   Bust of Frederick in electoral coat and sword in his right hand
Rev.:   ·MONETA· – ·ARGENTINa(...tea) – DVCVM ல – SAXONIaE¤ –
"Silver money from the Duchy of Saxony" interrupted by the arms of Saxony, Meissen, Palatinate Saxony and Thuringia. Busts of dukes Albert and John facing each other and wearing hats with foldable rims.
John the Steadfast was the youngest brother, co-regent und successor of Frederick the Wise.
The Klappmützentaler takes its name from the foldable hat rims. Here, the dukes represented on the obverse are wearing hats with rims turned up. After Albrecht's death in 1500, the Klappmützentalers show the name and the effigy of his son George.
The coin shown here is one the oldest of German talers. After 1500, the rulers of Saxony minted Guldengroschen jointly and in substantial numbers. They were the first large silver coins intended for significalt circulation. The original name "groschen for a gulden" or "Guldengroschen" refers to the silver content which equaled the value of a gold gulden. Later this large silver coin was called "Taler", following the use of the word "Joachimsthaler" for coins minted in St. Joachimsthal since 1520. These were of identical silver content but were minted in much larger numbers.



Guldengroschen, n.d. (1513), Nürnberg.     Ø 43mm   28,6g   Schnee 39, Dav.9702
Obv.:   FRIDericus DVX:SAXoNiae:E - LECTor:ImPERIi:QVE:L - OCum TENEnS·GENEralis
"Frederick, Duke of Saxony, imperial elector, Emperor's governor"
between arms of the Electoral Duchy of Saxony, Duchy of Saxony, Meissen and Thuringia.
Rev.:   MAXIMILIANVS·×·ROMANORVM·×·REX·×·AVGVSTVS·×·
Imperial eagle with shine and shield of Austria-Burgundy on the breast.
This commemorative was designed by the famous painter Lucas Cranach the Elder, who had been called to attend Frederick's court in 1505. These coins are also called "Locumtenens-Taler" because the legend highlights the position of the governor-general. Such coins were minted in silver ranging from the double taler to the 1/4 taler. The elector gave them away as presents, particularly on the occasion of a diet.
In 1507, during the diet in Constance, King Maximilian I had invested the elector of Saxony with the honour and duty of governor-general of the empire for the time of his absence. The appointment of Frederick the Wise expired when Maximilian I returned from Trient as Roman emperor-elect in 1508. However, Maximilian granted him the honorary title of governor-general for life.



Guldengroschen, 1522.     Ø 42mm   25,99g   Schnee 43 , Dav.9704
Obv.:   FRiDericus·DVX - SAXONiae - Sacri·ROmani:IMPerii - ELECTor -
Rev.:   +VERBVM.DOMINI:MANET:IN:AETERNVM.   "The word of the Lord is eternal"
Cross with flowered ends, in the angles C-C-N-S (Crux Christi Nostra Salus = "Christ's Cross is our salvation") surrounded by the date M - D - XX - II with ornaments between the letters.
The design of this commemorative follows a picture of Lucas Cranach. It became the model for the commemorative 3-mark-coin, issued in 1917 on the occasion of the 400-year-anniverary of the Reformation. The reigning king of Saxony, Frederick August III, was a catholic, so the portrait could not well embellish a coin commemorating the Reformation; neither could Luther's portrait, Luther was a commoner, after all. Frederick the Wise, Luther's protector, offered a way out of this predicament, an excellent choice indeed.

3 Mark 1917, Muldenhütten.     Ø 33mm   16,67g   Jäger 141
Obv.:   EIN FESTE BVRG IST VNSER GOTT   1517-1917   /   FRIEDRICH - DER WEISE
"A Mighty Fortress is Our God" (the best known of Martin Luther's hymns)
Rev.:   DEUTSCHES REICH 1917 ¤ DREI MARK ¤
During the World War I not much silver was available, so that only few coins were minted. In addition, many coins were lost in the disorders after the war. Less than half have been saved of the original 100 pieces. As this coin is not only rare but also beautifully designed, it now far exceeds the value of its elder model.



Startpage Charles V   /   Karl V. TOUR :   Philip the Magnanimous of Hesse