1 Thaler Bohemia Silver Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor (1578 -1637)

1623, Bohemia, Emperor Ferdinand II. Large Silver Thaler Coin

Mint Year: 1623 Mint Place: Prague Denomination: Thaler References: Davenport 3136, KM-354.    Condition: Minor scratches and deposits, otherwise a nicely toned XF for this crudely struck type!  Weight: 29.08gm Diameter: 42mm Material: Silver

Obverse: Standing armored and crowned full-length figure of Emperor Ferdinand II as King of Bohemia, holding lis-topped scepter and cross-topped orb. Legend: FERDNANDVS . II . DG R IM . S . A: G . H . BO . REX Translation: "Ferdinand II, by the grace of God, Emperor of the Romans, Ever Augustus, King of Germany, Hungary, and Bohemia"   Reverse: Crowned double-headed eagle with crowned coat-of-arms of Bohemia (double-tailed rampart lion) at chest. Legend: ARCHID  . AVST . DVX . (privy mark: upper half of griffin left) BVRG . MAR . MO . 1623 Translation: "Archduke of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, Margrave of Moravia, 1623."

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Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor (July 9, 1578 – February 15, 1637), of the House of Habsburg, reigned as Ferdinand II, Archduke of Inner Austria (normally called Ferdinand II of Germany when referred to as Archduke) and Holy Roman Emperor from 1619-1637. He was also the Archduke of Styria (Inner Austria) from 1590–1637, King of Bohemia from 1617-1619 and again from 1620-1637, as well as King of Hungary and Croatia from 1618-1625. The expansion of the ongoing acts of rebellion against his Imperial Governors in Bohemia on May 23rd, 1618 directly triggered the Thirty Years' War, and can be blamed on his religious intolerance toward Protestants.

A devout and very pious Catholic, his recognition as King of Bohemia and suppression of Protestantism precipitated the early events of the Thirty Years' War, and he remained one of the staunchest backers of the Anti-Protestant Counter Reformation efforts as one of the heads of the German Catholic League, prolonging the Thirty Years' Wars by insisting the Edict of Restitution be enforced. The duration of his reign was occupied by confessional and military concerns, and some historians blame him for the large civilian loss of life in the Sack of Magdeburg in 1631, as he’d instructed Count Tilly to enforce the edict upon Saxony—his orders causing Tilly to move the Catholic armies east, ultimately to Leipzig, where they suffered their first substantial defeat at First Breitenfeld.

(July 9, 1578 – February 15, 1637), of the House of Habsburg, reigned as Ferdinand II, Archduke of Inner Austria (normally called Ferdinand II of Germany when referred to as Archduke) and Holy Roman Emperor from 1619-1637. He was also the Archduke of Styria (Inner Austria) from 1590–1637, King of Bohemia from 1617-1619 and again from 1620-1637, as well as King of Hungary and Croatia from 1618-1625. The expansion of the ongoing acts of rebellion against his Imperial Governors in Bohemia on May 23rd, 1618 directly triggered the Thirty Years' War, and can be blamed on his religious intolerance toward Protestants.

A devout and very pious Catholic, his recognition as King of Bohemia and suppression of Protestantism precipitated the early events of the Thirty Years' War, and he remained one of the staunchest backers of the Anti-Protestant Counter Reformation efforts as one of the heads of the German Catholic League, prolonging the Thirty Years' Wars by insisting the Edict of Restitution be enforced. The duration of his reign was occupied by confessional and military concerns, and some historians blame him for the large civilian loss of life in the Sack of Magdeburg in 1631, as he’d instructed Count Tilly to enforce the edict upon Saxony—his orders causing Tilly to move the Catholic armies east, ultimately to Leipzig, where they suffered their first substantial defeat at First Breitenfeld.