Philippstaler (Hesse)

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Philippstaler, Schautaler from 1552 (diameter 45 mm, weight 28.95 g), copper engraving from 1729

The Philippstaler , also called Spruchtaler , is a show thaler from Hesse with the year 1552, the year Philip the Magnanimous of Hesse (1509–1567) was released from imperial imprisonment. The front shows his hip picture. On the back there are five coats of arms and the saying BESS (er) LAND V (nd) LVD V (er) LORN ALS EN FALSCH (en) AID GeschWORN (Better to lose the country and people than to swear a false oath). It is doubted that Landgrave Philipp had the thaler minted .

Of the very rare Schautaler, smaller silver cast replicas were made in the 17th century or possibly a little later .

Coin-historical connections

Landgrave Philip's political power was severely affected when his double marriage, which was concluded with the consent of his wife Christina of Saxony and after obtaining theological opinions, came to the public. On bigamy punishable by death. In order to please the emperor , the landgrave made him concessions. The Schmalkaldic War ended the understanding between Charles V and Philip.

The Schmalkaldic League under the leadership of Landgrave Philipp of Hesse and the Saxon Elector Johann Friedrich the Magnanimous  (1532–1547–1554) lost the battle of Mühlberg on April 24, 1547 . On June 19, 1547, Philip submitted to the emperor in Halle , who then overturned the imperial ban and the death sentence, but had him arrested.

The slogan on the reverse of the thaler refers to his release from captivity by the emperor in 1552 without having renounced Protestantism.

According to Jacob Hoffmeister, the Philippstaler belong to the strangest Hessian coins, because on the one hand they are in great demand and on the other hand their authenticity is contested. In the mint works they are, according to Hoffmeister, "usually called the called or disreputable or also false Philippsthalers". According to his knowledge, the minting of the taler coin was not initiated by the landgrave, but by his followers. This is justified by the fact that Landgrave Philipp "when he was freed from five-year captivity in 1552 had to vow to the emperor not to take revenge [...]". This contradicts this, however, according to Hoffmeister, "that one must regard the expression of Thalern with the inscription: 'Better land and people lost than sworn a false oath' as ​​a revenge against the emperor [...]." By Landgraf Philipp can be expected "that he would not have broken his given princely word anytime soon, even if it had only been in the form of a coin".

The same conclusion is found in the General Encyclopedia of Sciences and Arts ... (1847). The Landgrave did not even have the "appointed Philippsthalers" in question stamped, it says there. The "most general legend" for the occasion of the minting of these talers with the saying in the inscription is

"That Landgrave Philipp wanted to publicly reproach Emperor Charles V for having held him prisoner for five years, contrary to what he had been told [...]."

As early as 1729, JD Köhler described the Schautaler as "falsely coined".

However, as early as 1729, Johann David Köhler referred to the Schautaler in his Historical Coin Amusement as "Landgrave Philippe of Hesse falsely minted Thaler" and explained this in great detail in his historical explanation . A proof is also that the "Secret State and War Secretarius" Johann Balthasar fees as the Saxon Council and historian Tentzel assured that neither in the royal archive in the coin to Kassel such Taler temple there were. Köhler's explanations may then have served as a basis or template for all further research and publications.

The term “falsely minted thaler” does not mean counterfeiting in the traditional sense, but rather means that Philipp did not commission the Schautaler himself. The addition "FIER (i) FE (cit) = hat (the coin) made " in the legend of the thaler should name Philip as the client of the coin. However, this reference never appears on all of Philip's thalers.

Replica

The enormous interest shown by collectors in the mysterious Schautaler resulted in a downsized silver cast as early as the 17th century. The designation of the replica as a thaler, which can, however , be assigned to the medals , was nothing unusual. Thaler-shaped medals were often given a thaler name, although they were not fit for circulation. Examples of this include the Hustaler and Locumtenenstaler medals with high relief.

Coin description

Philippstaler, dated 1552, replica around the 17th century, cast silver (diameter 40 mm, weight 27.6 g)

The original is a very rare full-fledged silver show thaler ( broad thaler ) without a mint master's mark . The diameter is 45 millimeters, the weight 28.95 grams. Pictured here to the side is an old, identical silver cast with a diameter of 40 millimeters and a weight of 27.6 grams.

front

The front shows the armored hip picture of the Landgrave, in the right the command baton , the left hand on the sword hilt .

  • Transcription: PHILIP (pus) ∙ D (ei) ∙ G (ratia) ∙ LANDG (ravius) ∙ HASSIE ∙ C (omes) ∙ K (atimeliboci) ∙ D (iezae) ∙ Z (iegenhainae) ∙ N (iddae) ∙ A (nno) 1552 ∙ FIER (i) ∙ FE (cit)
    • Translation: Philip by God's grace , Landgrave of Hesse, Count of Katzenelnbogen, Diez, Ziegenhain and Nidda had (the coin) produced in 1552.
    • The specification FIER. FE. should serve as evidence for a coinage of the Landgrave in order to simulate the authenticity of the Schautaler. The mysterious pieces aroused such demand from collectors that from the 17th century onwards, silver casts with a smaller diameter were also made.

back

The Hessian lion shield is surrounded by the upper coats of arms of the counties Katzenelnbogen and Nidda and the lower one of the counties Ziegenhain and Diez . In between there are the letters P (arcere) - S (ubiectis) E (t) - D (ebellare) - S (uperbos) = protect the subjugated and fight the haughty ones down , or also mildly against the subjugated and bow down those who rise up . That is a motto of Philip, which was already carried in the first Schmalkaldic federal thaler from 1542.

  • Transcription: BESS (er) ∙ LAND ∙ V (nd) ∙ LVD ∙ V (er) ∙ LORN ∙ ALS ∙ EN ∙ FALSCH (en) ∙ AID ∙ GeschWORN ∙

annotation

A Spanish silver coin the size of a thaler, which was minted for the Spanish Netherlands under King Philip II of Spain (1555–1598) , is also known as the Philippstaler .

See also

  • Schmalkaldic Bundestaler of the captains of the Schmalkaldic League, the Saxon Elector Johann Friedrichs the Magnanimous and the Landgrave Philip of Hesse with a Saxon and a Hessian side
  • Taler on the capture of Gotha (1567) : The taler testifies to the last breach of the peace. - The eldest son of Johann Friedrich the Magnanimous could not come to terms with the fact that the electoral dignity was lost due to the defeat of the Schmalkaldic League.
  • Weidenbaumtaler from Landgraves Wilhelm V and Wilhelm VI. from Hessen-Kassel
  • Blood dollar , a taler coin from Frederick II of Hessen-Kassel

literature

  • Johann David Köhler's Historical Coin Amusement, Volume 1, 1729
  • Heinz Fengler, Gerd Gierow, Willy Unger: transpress Lexikon Numismatics , Berlin 1976
  • Helmut Kahnt: The large lexicon of coins from A to Z , Regenstauf 2005
  • coingallerry: From Jacob Hoffmeister's historical-critical description of all Hessian coins known so far, (1857–1880), pp. 106–108
  • MHE Meier, Ed .: General Encyclopedia of Sciences and Arts ... , Leipzig 1847
  • Künker auction 220, October 2012 - rarities from Hessen, The Mercator Collection, by Fritz Rudolf Künker GmbH & Co. KG, No. 7507, p. 23: Taler 1552, here referred to as Spruchtaler

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Heinz Fengler, ...: transpress Lexikon Numismatics ..., p. 238
  2. ↑ CNG: Nachguss
  3. ↑ Künker auction 220, 2012, p. 22
  4. ↑ Künker auction 220, October 2012, No. 7507, p. 23: Taler 1552, here referred to as Spruchtaler
  5. ↑ From Jacob Hoffmeister: Historical-critical description of all Hessian coins known so far , (1857–1880), pp. 106–108: "Coined by his followers"
  6. ↑ Jacob Hoffmeister: Historical-critical description of all Hessian coins known so far , (1857–1880), pp. 106–108: "Never minted by L. Philipp himself"
  7. ↑ MHE Meier (Ed.): General Encyclopedia of Sciences and Arts ... (1847): Unter Philippsthaler, pp. 288/299
  8. ^ Johann David Köhler: Historische Münzbelustigung , Volume 1, 1729, pp. 233/239: "falsely coined Thaler"
  9. ↑ Johann David Köhler's "Historische Münzbelustigung", Volume 1, 1729, p. 233: Transcription
  10. ^ From Jacob Hoffmeister's historical-critical description of all Hessian coins known so far, (1857–1880), pp. 106–108: No coins from Philip with this formula
  11. ↑ Künker Auction 220, October 2012, No. 7507, p. 23: Spruch
  12. ↑ Heinz Fengler,…: transpress Lexicon Numismatics …, p. 238: Spruch
  13. ↑ MHE Meier, Ed .: General Encyclopedia of Sciences and Arts ... (1847) P. 288/299: For the Spanish Netherlands