Brunswick-Lüneburg

The Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg (in the area of ​​present-day Lower Saxony) was given as fief to Otto the Child on the Hoftag of Mainz in 1235. It consisted of two castles in Brunswick and Lüneburg and the associated property of the Welfs. In 1269 there was a first division between the brothers Albrecht and Johann, whereby the duchy was not dissolved. The separation into partial rulers, the splintering in secondary lines and the re-merging into yet other principalities remained since then a continuous feature of Brunswick history.

The eventful history also shapes the numismatics of this area. Before the founding of the duchy, the rulers - as usual in the Middle Ages - mainly struck pennies and bracteates. But already at that time there was a large number of mint owners and mints and so there was a colorful mixture of types and coin feet. After the establishment of the Duchy and the soon following divisions it behaved similarly with the thalers and mariengroschen. Nonetheless, there are recurring motifs on the coins of the time, which have become the hallmarks of this area: the so-called Wilder Mann and the Jumping Horse.