Henneberg-Schleusingen - William IV - Pfennig - c.1530

AR 3-Heller-Pfennig (c.1530, Schleusingen mint)

O/ Loop above two coats of arms; H above, rosettes on either side; W below.

R/ Flat reverse.

16mm, 0.2g

William IV, Prince of Henneberg-Schleusingen (1480-1559):

William belonged to the house of Henneberg, who ruled a reduced central part of the former duchy of Franconia, located between Cobourg and the abbey of Fulda. He was the son of William III (1434-1480) and Margarete of Braunschweig (1451-1509), who assumed the regency after the early death of William III in 1480, since his son was only 1 year old.

From 1543 onward, William ruled with his son George Ernst (1511-1583), who introduced the Reformation in the Principality the following year. He nevertheless continued to formally reign until his late death at 81 years old. In 1547, they also reunited with the defunct cadet line of the Henneberg-Römhild, which had some lands in the southwest of the Principality.

From his marriage with Anastasia (1478-1534), daughter of Albert Achilles, Prince-Elector of Brandenburg, William had five sons, but none of them produced heirs. The eldest, Wolfgang (1507-1537) died during his military service for the Emperor, George Ernst's only son died in 1562, and the other three sons made careers in the clergy: John III, was Prince Bishop of Fulda in 1529 until his death in 1541, Christoph (1510-1548) and Poppo (1513-1574) were canons in Cologne and Strasbourg. The House of Henneberg therefore became extinct at the death of George Ernst in 1583.

The two coats of arms on the coin belong to the Hennebergs (right), with a pun on their name (Henne means hen in German), and the former coat of arms of the Burgraviate of Wurzburg (left), which used to belong to the Hennebergs until 1168, when it was made a Hochstift (an independent Prince-Bishopric). They were often combined in a single coat, as shown below.

Colección : Holy Roman Empire