Featured New early medieval coin in the collection: Heinrich II

So I have been looking for a Carolingian coin for a while and finally with this example, I believed to have a rather nice one. Until it turned out not to be a Carolingian coin, but a silver penny by Heinrich II, or Henry II (973 - 1024). This colourful person became duke of Bavaria in 995 (at the age of 22) and king of Germany at 1002, following the sudden death of his cousin Otto III, king of Italy in 1004 and emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in 1014. That's quite a career.

So when Otto III, at the age of 21 experienced a revolt against him in Italy, Henry II was asked to join with reinforcements. However, when Henry II was on his way, Otto III died, leaving no children or instructions for the Imperial succession. Henry II probably thought 'well, since I'm here already ...' and demanded Archbishop Heribert of Cologne to give him the Imperial Regalia. However, this clever fellow had sent these ahead of the funeral procession to one of the rival candidates for the throne. So without crown jewels, imperial authority, cooperation of the Archbishop (some sources state Henry II captured and imprisoned him for a while) and the nobles attending the funeral, Henry II took the radical action of having himself crowned King of Germany by another (more friendly) Bishop in Mains thus breaking with the tradition of German kings being crowned in Aachen (which was started in 936, and, apparently already a tradition). In the following years, he consolidated his power over Germany.

Sacramentary of king Henry II [1002-14] - München BSB Clm 4456 Seite 33c: King Henry II

In 1004, Henry II decided to include Italy to his kingdom, and succeeded doing this (mainly because Italy had been in a political vacuum after the death of Otto III). After being crowned king of Italy, Henry decided to wear two crowns: one for Germany, and one for Italy. The party following his coronation was spoiled a bit by the inhabitants of Pavia, however Henry II quickly responded by massacring the entire population in response, thus saving the party. He did not visit pope John XVIII (who did not really like him), and thus did not became Emperor of the Holy Empire just jet. However, after John XVIII came pope Sergius IV. And after Sergius IV came Benedict VIII who had to flee from Rome because an antipope was installed as head of the Church. Henry II of course promised to undo al this wrongdoing against Sergius IV, and did so two years later, in 1014. In response, of course, Henry II became Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.

Subsequently, Henry II fought a few times against the Polish, and came into conflict with Byzantium. However, his 22-year long reign was marked by expansion and consolidation of the Holy Roman Empire. As the union between Henry II and Cunigunde of Luxembourg produced no children, after Henry's death in 1024 the Ottonian dynasty came to an end (919-1024). In 1146, Henry was canonized, making him the only German monarch to be a saint (restoring Sergius IV to the papal throne probably helped).


Now the coin:

Heinrich II (973 or 978 - 1024)
Denomination: AR Pfennig, minted: Regensburg (Germany), mintmark ELLN; 985-995 AD
Obv: Retrograde +• HENRICVS V, cross with two pellets and one annulet within circle
Rev: REGINA CIVITAS, around temple facade, ELLN (mintmark) within
Weight: 1.69g; Ø:23mm
Catalogue: Probably a variant on Hahn 22 c 2 (I don't own this catalogue).
Provenance: Metal detecting find near Kalkar, Germany; acq.: 10-2019

The coin is superb to hold in hand, with a lovely grey patina and almost no wear despite being rather large (23 mm) and with 1.69 gram obviously rather thin. It's minted in Regensburg, Germany, a city with Celtic and Roman roots. I could not find information about the moneyer (mintmark ELLN). A quick search in ACsearch yields 478 results for "Heinrich Regensburg" - however, the mintmark reduces the number to 12, of which is by far the highest graded example. Furthermore, it's the only example I could find showing the retrograde HENRICVS V on the obverse (of the 478 results, not limited to the mintmark, only two examples have a retrograde obverse).

If you have them, please show your coins of Heinrich II - or any other coin you deem relevant!

 

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I have said it before, but awesome coin @Roerbakmix! Those new images sure make it look much nicer and the history you managed to drum up sure gives it some more historical backdrop to place the coin against.

I am afraid I have no relevant or contemporary coinage from Regensburg or Germany, so how about an earlier actual Carolingian coin, on which the design of the Regensburger pfennig is loosely based?



Carolingian Empire, Louis the Pious (814–840). AR Denier rom the so-called ‘General Carolingian type’ / ‘Denier à la légende Chrétienne’. Facade of tetrastyle temple with cross in centre, XPISTIANA RELIGIO / Short cross with pellets in circle, +HLVDOVVICVS IMP. Third emission of 822 – 840, mint undeterminable (Possibly Dorestad, Milan or Melle, but attribution impossible)

 

Great write up and coin congrats.

 

Great write-up and wonderful new acquisition. That's exactly the type of coin that will get every early medieval collector excited: a rare and historically significant type, great strike, and perfectly preserved. Congratulations on managing to add such a fantastic specimen to your collection!

Here is an earlier Carolingian denier with a monogram instead of the church building:


Charles the Bald, Western Carolingian Empire, AR denier, 840–877 AD, "Curtisasonien" mint (Courcessin or Courgeon). Obv: +CRATIA D-I REX; Karolus monogram. Rev: +HCVRTISASONIEH; cross. 19.5mm, 1.69g. Ref: MEC I, 860–864.

And here are two humble "Saxon pennies" from the late 10th and early 11th centuries:


Magdeburg, Imperial mint, "Saxon penny," probably issued under Otto III (r. 983–1002 AD) and Archbishop Giselher (984–1004 AD). Obv: ...I M I... (corrupted MAGADEBURG); "wooden church" with four pellets inside; three pellets to l. and r. Rev: ...EI°III... (corrupted IN NOMINE DNI AMEN), cross pattée. 16.5mm, 1.27g. Ref: Dannenberg 1330; Mehl 30; Kilger Mg HP 1; Slg Hauswaldt 14.



Under the early Salian emperors, anonymous regional moneyer, "Saxon penny", ca. 1025–1060 AD, struck in the Saale region close to Naumburg. Obv: legend of strokes and I-X-?-V (CRVX–type), cross with pellets and ringlets in quadrants. Rev: egend of strokes and C-V-X-?(CRVX–type), cross of wedges. 16mm, 1.17g. Ref: Dannenberg 1338 var (1337 on plate due to printing error).

These Saxon pennies tend to have a raised edge probably produced by gentle hammering. This is usually interpreted as a proof of silver fineness (debased silver alloys aren't that malleable) and as a safeguard against clipping.

 

@AnYangMan and @Orielensis thanks both for the compliments. I did not know about the raised edge on the Saxon pennies, and come to think of it: my only Saxon penny shows the same (mainly bought because of the Picasso-esque portrait style):

Bernhard I (973-1011)
Denomination: AR Penny, minted: Jever or Luneburg (Germany); 973-1011
Obv: (B)ERNHARDVS DVX, head of Bernard I
Rev: Partly illegible, should be IN NOMINE DEI AMEN
Catalogue: Dannenberg 585, Jesse 11
Provenance: Ex private collection ; acq.: 09-2019

Portrait and coin type is imitated from Otto-Adelheid coins. Bernard I (c. 950 – 9 February 1011) was the Duke of Saxony between 973 and 1011, the second of the Billung dynasty, a son of Duke Herman and Oda. He extended his father's power considerably.

He fought the Danes in 974, 983, and 994 during their invasions. He supported the succession of Otto III over Henry the Wrangler. In 986, he was made marshal and in 991 and 995 he joined the young Otto on campaign against the Slavs. He increased his power vis-à-vis the crown, where his father had been the representative of the king to the tribe, Bernard was the representative of the tribe to the king. Bernard died in 1011 and was buried in the Church of Saint Michael in Lüneburg.