Very well preserved Schwarzburg bracteate.
A rare and unlisted variant with this type of embellishments on the sides of the dial.
On the left there is the number 2 lying between two dots, on the right there is the number 1, also between the dots.
Germany
Schwarzburg County, Ginter XXXIX and Henry XXXI (1493-1526), Brakteat, Arnstadt Mint, Schwarzburg House Coat of Arms, above the letter GH
Günther XXXIX, called the Younger or Bremer, was born on May 30, 1455 in Arnstadt, he was Earl of Schwarzburg from the Schwarzburg-Blankenburg line. In the years 1493-1513, together with his cousin Henry XXXI, he ruled the County of Schwarzburg-Blankenburg. In 1513, Günther and Henry divided their territories and Günther became Earl of the Schwarzburger Oberherrschaft. In 1525, the Boer War broke out in southern and central Germany. Stadtilm, which was located on the territory of Günther, became the center of the uprising in Thuringia. Günther ordered the treasures of the monasteries in the city saved from the marauding insurgents. On May 1, 1525, he had to yield to the rebels and sign Frankenhausen's fourteen articles, a list of demands that the rebellious peasants and citizens had drawn up together. However, two weeks later, on May 15, the insurgents led by Thomas Müntzer at the Battle of Frankenhausen were crushingly defeated.
Günther XXXIX remained faithful to the Roman Catholic Church throughout his life. He was the last Earl of Schwarzburg to profess the Catholic faith. Even the elector of Saxony failed to convince him to convert to Lutheranism. After Günther's death in 1931, he was succeeded by his only son, Henry XXXII.
