Item number: A1209

Year: AD 1614

Material: Silver

Size: 33.2 x 33.2 mm

Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2024

This is a silver coin minted in the name of Maximilian III of Austria, a noble of the Habsburg dynasty who held the position of Grand Master of the Teutonic Order during AD 1614. By this time, the Teutonic Order had already lost its territories in Courland and retained only scattered estates within the Holy Roman Empire. The coin carries a denomination of ½ Thaler and reflects the diminished territorial and political influence of the order during this period.

The obverse of the coin features a standing portrait of Maximilian III, crowned, draped in a robe, and holding a sword. To his left is his helmet, and to his right is a shield supported by a lion. Below, the initials “C / Ö” are inscribed on either side. Surrounding the design is a Latin inscription, “DVX:BVR:MAG:PRVS:AD:MAX:DG:ARCH:AVST:”, a shortened version of his full titles: “Duke, Burgrave, Administrator of Prussia, Maximilian by the grace of God, Archduke of Austria.”

The reverse of the coin depicts a fully armoured knight on horseback, holding a banner and riding to the right. Below the knight is a large shield bearing the coat of arms of the Teutonic Order, symbolising the coin’s affiliation with the Order. Further below, the year of minting, “1614,” is engraved. The coin’s outer rim is adorned with fourteen small escucheons, serving as decorative elements.

The Teutonic Order originated during the Third Crusade (AD 1189–AD 1192) but, over time, shifted its focus toward campaigns against the indigenous populations of the Baltic region, accelerating the area’s Christianisation and establishing its own sovereign state. By AD 1585, when Maximilian III assumed the role of Grand Master, the Order had already lost its territorial holdings and began its transformation into a religious and charitable organisation operating within the Holy Roman Empire—a function it continues to fulfil to this day.

物件編號: A1209

年代: 公元 1614 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 33.2 x 33.2 mm

來源: 福君錢幣 2024

這是一枚公元1614年，彼時已經喪失庫爾蘭等領地，僅在神聖羅馬帝國境內有零星分散地產的「條頓騎士團」，以時任團長一職的哈布斯堡王朝貴族馬克西米連三世之名，發行鑄造之面額為½ 塔勒的銀幣。

錢幣正面為配戴王冠，身披長袍和手持利劍的馬克西米連三世站立像。團長的左側是他的頭盔，右側則是一隻由獅子攙扶的盾牌徽飾，下方兩側分別有字母「C / Ö」。外圍的拉丁銘文「DVX:BVR:MAG:PRVS:AD:MAX:DG:ARCH:AVST:」為「公爵領主馬格德堡普魯士行政長官蒙上帝恩典的奧地利大公馬克西米連」，即馬克西米連三世的頭銜簡稱。

錢幣背面是一位重裝上陣，舉著旌旗向右的騎馬騎士。騎士下方的大盾牌為條頓騎士團團徽，更下方打印著鑄造年份「1614」。錢幣外圍則以十四面小型盾牌紋章作為裝飾。

條頓騎士團源自公元1189至1192年的「第三次十字軍東征」，但隨著時空演變，條頓騎士團將重心放在討伐波羅的海一帶的原住民，加快該地區的基督化和建立屬於自己的王國。公元1585年，當馬克西米連三世榮登團長之際，騎士團已經喪失屬於自身的領地，逐步轉型為神聖羅馬帝國境內的宗教和慈善組織並存續迄今。