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Pfennig - Berthold III and Berthold IV Windischgrätz
| Issuer | Counts of Andechs (Duchy of Merania) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1185-1195 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Central device depicts a stylized tower or gateway flanked by two tall, slender turrets or columns, surmounted by a cross-pattée or saltire above the central structure, consistent with Windischgrätz (Slovenj Gradec) architectural iconography. A row of three or four pellets or roundels appears at the base of the central tower, arranged horizontally within a bottom register. The entire central design is enclosed within a beaded inner circle, itself surrounded by an outer beaded border following the irregular flan edge. The relief is bold and well-preserved, with clear definition of the architectural elements despite the characteristically crude hammered technique of the period. |
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| Additional information |
The Counts of Andechs reached the peak of their territorial ambitions in the late twelfth century, acquiring the Duchy of Merania in 1180 after Duke Henry the Lion's fall from imperial favor left a political vacuum across the eastern Alpine frontier. Berthold III and his son Berthold IV co-issued this pfennig during a period when the dynasty was aggressively consolidating control over mint rights across their scattered holdings in Styria, Carinthia, and Istria.
Windischgrätz — modern Slovenj Gradec — was one of several secondary minting sites the Andechs operated simultaneously, a deliberate strategy to assert jurisdictional presence rather than meet any particular commercial demand.