The Rise of the European Emperor

When instructing the minting craftsmen to design, Marin suddenly remembered that he did not seem to have obtained the right to mint...

The right to mint coins is widespread in Germany, but not everyone is qualified to mint coins. If you want the right to mint coins, you must apply for authorization from the emperor. Otherwise, it is illegal minting. Generally speaking, those dukes have the right to mint coins. As for the counts, there are strong ones and weak ones. For example, Count Rietberg, the country of Nima is more than 200 square kilometers. Why do you want the right to mint coins? Therefore, among the counts, only the counts of the powerful counties will apply for and get the right to coinage.

The former counties of East Friesland did not seem to have the right to mint coins. Because the Frisians had been excluded from the mainstream German society before, and like the Dutch, they were not accepted by the mainstream German society. Even, in German, there's a lot of slang that mocks the stupidity of Frisians. Therefore, the former counties of East Friesland were excluded from obtaining separate coinage rights. Even the counties of East Friesland, in the original history, did not enter the Imperial House of Princes until the 17th century.

Then, this brought a problem for Marin - he started as an eastern Friesland country, and he did not have the right to mint coins. But what is interesting is that the counties of Oldenburg and the Archdiocese of Bremen under his name both have the right to mint coins.

However, the Archbishopric of Bremen did not perish, but was moved to Stendall. Therefore, the coinage of the Archbishopric of Bremen was also taken away.

Similarly, the county of Oldenburg was nominally transferred to Norway under Danish rule, and the coinage was also taken away. As for the Duchy of Schleswig, it used to belong to Denmark and was not authorized to mint coins like the German princes. Moreover, the Duchy of Schleswig was already directly under the Danish royal family, and there was no need to obtain the right to mint coins. At that time, the Duchy of Schleswig was still part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Only the Principality of Holstein, which belongs to Germany, has the right to mint coins. Unfortunately, the Principality of Holstein was divided up by Hamburg and Lübeck. Although Marin had a name in that Principality, he had no rights, and even more Not to mention minting coins in the name of Duke Holstein. Because, when the agreement was signed, Marin was willing to be the empty duke, but he signed to give up all rights in this area.

As for West Friesland, Jutland and North Münster, there is also no coinage. The situation in West Friesland, like the counties of East Friesland, was not recognized by the German mainstream, and was even given to Albrecht, Duke of Saxony, by the emperor. Jutland was snatched from Denmark and naturally had no coinage. The Bishopric of Munster seems to have the right to mint coins. However, from the day the Pope announced the secularization of the Bishopric of Münster and rewarded it to Marin, the Bishopric of Münster lost its independent status, and also lost the right to coin...

Therefore, Marin suddenly discovered that he, one of the most powerful princes in Germany, did not have the legal right to mint coins...

Of course, this is not a big problem for Marin. Isn't it just asking the emperor for the right to mint coins? At other times, Emperor Maximilian I might put Joe on the air and ask Marin to exchange things. However, the current emperor, who is seeking to be crowned as the official emperor, is begging for Marin's help, how dare he put on an air of Joe? Therefore, as long as Marin applies, Maximilian I dare not refuse to agree...

In fact, most of the coinage rights of the German princes were obtained when the emperor was elected. Whenever the previous emperor died and a new emperor needed to be elected, it was time for the princes, especially the powerful princes, to make conditions.

Before Charles IV officially promulgated the "Golden Edict" in 1356 and established the system of electing emperors to elect emperors, most powerful princes in Germany had the right to vote for emperors. If candidates want to be elected successfully, they will naturally have to offer conditions to buy those powerful princes. And the right to mint coins is an important condition for it to be released. Therefore, at that time, most of the powerful princes got the right to mint coins.

Then, Charles IV looked - oops, that's not going to work. If you choose an emperor once, you have to buy off so many princes. Isn't that making the candidate bankrupt? So, he thought of a way to elect 7 electors and let them vote for the emperor... In this way, he only needs to bribe 7 electors, and the cost of running for the emperor will be huge. Reduced……

Since the establishment of the electoral system, the emperor has rarely granted the nobility the right to mint coins. Because, there is no need for that. If a candidate for the emperor wants to be elected, he only needs to bribe and please the elector. Why bother with those petty aristocrats? Moreover, most of the powerful veteran aristocrats have basically obtained the right to mint coins in the election of the emperor hundreds of years ago. Those who do not have the right to mint coins, only the incompetent nobles, and some newly rising nouveau riche nobles, such as Marin...

And the nouveau riche aristocrats would have to be extorted by the emperor if they wanted to get the right to mint coins. After all, this is also one of the few opportunities for the illusory Holy Roman Emperor to blackmail the princes.

But unfortunately, Marin will not be extorted. Who told the emperor to ask him to help convince the pope to crown him now...

Moreover, the relationship between Maximilian I and Marin is indeed very good...

Sure enough, after Marin sent people to Innsbruck, within a few days, he brought back the emperor's power of attorney for coinage. Then, Marin can mint legal currency in an open and honest way...

At this time, the mint artisans also sent samples, and asked Marin to review...

"What, did you get my avatar on it?" Marin, who got the sample coin, suddenly found that his big avatar was engraved on the sample coin, and it was even uglier and looked very big. ...

Malin suddenly remembered the Yuan Datou silver dollar that his family had collected in his previous life...

"Could it be that in the future people will take copper coins and say - look, this is 'Ma Datou'..."

Marin's heart was a little broken, but the craftsmen were even more strange - isn't it a common practice in all countries to engrave the monarch's head on coins?

In fact, they don't know, Marin just thinks that the head portrait they engraved on the sample coins is not good-looking, and it has the feeling of "Yuan Datou". In addition, Marin felt that it was very cheap to engrave his surrender on the cheap copper coins of the smallest denomination. If you want to engrave it, it is also engraved on gold coins. Also, you have to ask Da Vinci to design a handsome avatar for yourself. The level of the head portraits of these minters is too poor. He is obviously very handsome, but they have carved the feeling of Yuan Datou...

"Well, don't engrave my head on this copper coin, and use the logo of the Brock family instead!"

The symbol of the Bullock family is a golden eagle with a cross on its head and two wings, which looks domineering and Christian. Therefore, Marin did not change the family logo after he got the counties of East Friesland. On the one hand, he thinks this logo is very good. On the other hand, it is also to show that his noble blood is pure...

At the same time, Marin also requested that this version of the copper coin be marked with the year, that is, the four figures of 1508 are engraved. This is mainly because - as the price of copper falls, Marin will use new cheap copper coins to exchange the old copper coins in the hands of residents. The year is marked, so that it can be exchanged to the appropriate amount for residents according to exchange rate changes.

As for someone minting counterfeit money to defraud foreign exchange? Marin wasn't worried at all. Because, at present, only the Marin family uses a screw die-casting machine to mint coins. In this way, Marin can suppress the most exquisite and uniform copper coins, making it difficult for counterfeiters to imitate. In addition, the color of brass is golden and shiny, and others have no zinc, so they can't be imitated at all...