Thaler Coinage of the Pre Empire German States - Chapter 13 This chapter brings us to our next German State listed under the letter B which is Berg. Berg was a free state (originally a County, later a Duchy) in the Rhineland (Germany). It existed from the 12th to the 19th centuries. To really understand the variety of coinage issued, authorized and placed into circulation or used in Berg's foreign trade between free states and other nations here's a few things you should know: The Counts of Berg emerged in 1101 as a junior line of the dynasty of the Ezzonen, which traced its roots back to the 9th-century Kingdom of Lotharingia, and in the 11th century became the most powerful dynasty in the lower Rhine region. In 1160 the territory split into two portions, one of them later becoming the County of the Mark, which returned to the possession of the family line in the 16th century. The power of Berg grew further in the 14th century. The County of Jülich united with the County of Berg in 1348, and in 1380 the Emperor Wenceslaus elevated the counts of Berg to the rank of dukes, thus originating the Duchy of Jülich-Berg. Take a look at this map: MAP SHOWING TERRITORY OF BERG IN THE 1300S In 1509, John III, Duke of Cleves, made a strategic marriage to Maria von Geldern , daughter of William IV, Duke of Jülich-Berg, who became heiress to her father's estates: Jülich, Berg and the County of Ravensberg. The Salic laws of the Holy Roman Empire caused the properties to pass to the husband of the female heir (women could not hold property except through a husband or a guardian). With the death of her father in 1521 the Dukes of Jülich-Berg became extinct, and the estate thus came under the rule of John III, Duke of Cleves - along with his personal territories, the County of the Mark and the Duchy of Cleves (Kleve) in a personal union. As a result of this union the dukes of the United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg controlled much of present-day North Rhine-Westphalia, with the exception of the clerical states of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the Bishop of Münster. Here's a map of the location of Berg and its neighboring states: MAP SHOWING BERG AND NEIGHBORING STATES IN 1645 However, the new ducal dynasty also became extinct in 1609, when the last duke died insane. This led to a lengthy dispute over succession to the various territories before the partition of 1614: the Count Palatine of Neuburg, who had converted to Catholicism, annexed Jülich and Berg; while Cleves and Mark fell to John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg, who subsequently also became Duke of Prussia. There's more to know: The French occupation (1794-1801) and annexation (1801) of Jülich (French: Juliers) during the French revolutionary wars separated the two duchies of Jülich and Berg. In 1803 Berg separated from the other Bavarian territories and came under the rule of a junior branch of the Wittelsbachs. In 1806, in the reorganization of the German lands occasioned by the end of the Holy Roman Empire, Berg became the Grand Duchy of Berg, under the rule of Napoleon's brother-in-law, Joachim Murat. In 1809, one year after Murat's promotion from Grand Duke of Berg to King of Naples, Napoleon's young nephew, Prince Napoleon Louis Bonaparte (1804-1831, elder son of Napoleon's brother Louis Bonaparte, (King of Holland) became the Grand Duke of Berg; French bureaucrats administered the territory in the name of the child. Under this leadership two cities just over the border of the Netherlands (Holland) became part of the Duchy of Berg and were very influential entities on some of Berg's coinage. In 1815, after the Congress of Vienna, Berg became part of a province of the Kingdom of Prussia known as the Province of Jülich-Cleves-Berg. You now know why and how the Thaler, with its fractional minor coinage, is so extensive in the duchy. In fact, because of those two nearby cities just over Holland's border, one minor coin (Stüber) became circulating coins of the state. All photos are courtesy of Coin Archives unless noted otherwise. The Stüber was a coin based on the Stuiver used in the Netherlands until the Napoleonic Wars. It was worth 16 Penning (Penninge) or 8 Duit. Twenty Stübers equalled a gulden. Take a look at this 1732 gold 2 Stübers trade coin from Holland: HOLLAND 1732 GOLD 2 STUBERS This fractional (1/2 Stüber) struck under the leadership of Karl Theador in 1794 bears the Düsseldorf mint mark PR: JÜLICH-KLEVE-BERG 1794 1/2 STUBER KARL THEADOR This 3 Stubers was issued in 1806 (Coins and Stamps photo): BERG 1806 3 STUBERS This coin issued while Ludwig Napolean held the territory of Berg under his thumb was minted in 1808 bearing Luwig's bust on its obverse: EUROPAISCHE 1808 50 STUBER - LUDWIG NAPOLEANThe Penning coins of the Netherlands came about because of commerce transactions with Denmark (Penning) and Norway (Penninge). As a bonus for reading this article I present you with these bonus pictures: EUROPAISCHE 1808 50 STUBER - LUDWIG NAPOLEAN The Penning coins of the Netherlands came about because of commerce transactions with Denmark (Penning) and Norway (Penninge). As a bonus for reading this article I present you with these bonus pictures: Here's a Penning struck while King Hakon V ruled Norway (1299-1319): NORWAY PENNING (1299-1319) - KING HAKON V Look at this Penning minted in Denmark during the leadership of Svend Estridsen at Roskilde Mint (1047-1075): DENMARK PENNING -SVEND ESTRIDSEN (1047-1075) ROSKILDE MINT This Penning was minted in Denmark during the leadership of Svend Estridsen, but at the Lund Mint: DENMARK PENNING - SVEND ESTRIDSEN (1047-1075) LUND MINT Way back, during Christopher I's reign in Denmark (1252-1259), this Penninge was minted at the Lund Mint by Erik Klipping a.k.a. Erik Plowpenning (Plovpenning): DENMARK PENNINGE - CHRISTOPHER I LUND MINT As for those Holland/Dutch/Netherlands Duits, here's some examples: NETHERLANDS-HOLLAND 1739 COPPER DUIT NETHERLANDS-OVERIJSSEL 1750 COPPER DUIT NETHERLANDS-UTRECHT 1784 COPPER DUIT NWTHERLANDS-WESTFRIESLAND 1658 COPPER DUIT BETHERLANDS-WESTFRIESLAND 1745 COPPER DUIT The next two are bonus photos of Netherlands Duits. They are silver. Enjoy the view:</b> NETHERLANDS-ZEELAND 1788 SILVER TRADE DUIT NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES 1748 SILVER TRADE DUIT Time to see a silver Thaler struck in the fourth year of Maximillian Joseph von Bayern's leadership of Jülich-Kleve-Berg: JÜLICH-KLEVE-BERG 1803 THALER - MAXIMILLIAN JOSEPH VON BAYERN Wilhelm V governed from 1539 - 1592 when this Thaler was minted in 1568 the 29th year of his reign: JÜLICH-KLEVE-BERG 1568 SILVER THALER - WILHELM 10 years later (1578) this Reichsthaler was struck: JÜLICH-KLEVE-BERG 1578 SILVER REICHSTHALER - WILHELM V From 1743 to 1799 Duke Karl Theodore became the heir apparent and this 1774 Thaler is indicative of the coin of the duchy: JÜLICH-KLEVE-BERG 1774 SILVER KONVENTION THALER - DUKE KARL THEODORE This Thaler was struck in 1806 during the first year of Joachim Murat's Dukedom and is representative of the silver coins minted during the two years of his reign: JÜLICH-KLEVE-BERG 1806 SILVER THALER - DUKE JAOCHIM MURAT Ready to see a 1643 gold Dukat while Wolfgang Wilhem governed? JÜLICH-KLEVE-BERG 1643 GOLD DUKAT - WOLFGANG WILHELM Hope you enjoyed this post. To be continued... Clinker
very nice write up, clinker!!! my ancestors lived in jülich-berg in the 16th and 17th centuries. i'm still trying to get some coins from that era.
Interesting article, Clinker! Oh, and - greetings from the capital of Berg. Well, today the city is the state capital of NW, but back then ... @swish513: Have you tried http://www.ma-shops.com/? Quite a few coins from (Jülich-Kleve-)Berg there. Don't know how much the dealers there will charge for shipping to the US though. Christian
