(sold for $83.0)

1425, Luxembourg, John of Bavaria & Elzabeth of Görlitz. Silver Gros (Bayersgroschen) Coin.

Mint Period: 1419-1425 State: Luxembourg (Duchy)   Denomination: Gros (Beyersgroschen) Ruler: John of Bavaria and Elizabeth of Görlitz (1419-25)  Reference: de Mey 194, Probst L-192-1, Weiller 182. Very Rare! Condition: Light corrosion scars (enviornmental damage), faint scratches from cleaning, otherwise VF+ for this early type! Diameter: 27mm Weight: 2.34gm Material: Silver

Obverse: Shield with arms of the Duchy of Luxemburg on long-cross, which crosses inner circle and splits legend. Legend: + IOH '* DVX * BAVAR Z * FILIVS * HOL '

Reverse: Heraldic eagle behind quartered shield with arms of the Duchy of Bavaria-Straubing. Legend:  MONET - A * NOVA - FEC '* L - VCEMB '*

The Duchy of Luxemburg (French: Luxembourg, Luxembourgish: Lëtzebuerg) was a state of the Holy Roman Empire, the ancestral homeland of the noble House of Luxembourg. The House of Luxembourg, now Duke of Limburg, became one of the most important political forces in the 14th century, competing against the House of Habsburg for supremacy in Central Europe. They would be the heirs to the Přemyslid dynasty in the Kingdom of Bohemia, succeeding the Kingdom of Hungary and contributing four Holy Roman Emperors until their own line of male heirs came to an end and the House of Habsburg got the pieces that the two Houses had originally agreed upon in the Treaty of Brünn in 1364. In 1443, the duchy passed to Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy of the French House of Valois, and, in 1477, by marriage to Archduke Maximilian I of Austria of the House of Habsburg. The Seventeen Provinces of the former Burgundian Netherlands were formed into an integral union by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in the Pragmatic Sanction of 1549. In 1795, French revolutionaries ended this situation.

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Elisabeth of Görlitz (November 1390 – 2 August 1451) was a Duchess regnant of Luxemburg from 1411 to 1443. Elisabeth was the only daughter and heiress of John of Görlitz, the third son of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor. He was Duke of Lusatia and Görlitz, and also Elector of Brandenburg for a brief period. Her mother, Richardis Catherine of Sweden, was the daughter of King Albert of Sweden. The Duchy of Luxemburg was mortgaged to Elisabeth by her uncle the King Sigismund of Hungary, who later also became King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor. He was unable to repay the loan, and subsequently left Elisabeth in control of the duchy. Her first marriage took place in Brussels on 16 July 1409, to Antoine, Duke of Brabant. He defended her against three uprisings of the Luxemburg nobility, until his death in 1415. John of Bavaria was her second husband. He died in 1425, and they did not have any children. After his death, she became heavily indebted. In 1441, she made a treaty with Philip III, Duke of Burgundy, allowing him to immediately assume the administrative duties of Luxemburg and inherit the duchy upon her death. He agreed to this, but chose to launch a night attack on the territory two years later, taking immediate control. Elisabeth was subsequently expelled from Luxemburg by Philip's forces.

John III the Pitiless, Duke of Bavaria-Straubing (1374–1425), of the House of Wittelsbach, was first bishop of Liège 1389–1418 and then duke of Bavaria-Straubing and count of Holland and Hainaut 1418–1425. John was born in Le Quesnoy. He was the youngest son of Duke Albert I and Margaret of Brieg. His elder brother was William II of Bavaria, who succeeded their father as Count of Holland, Zeeland and Hainault in 1404. His sister was Margaret of Bavaria, who married in 1385 with John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy. As the youngest son of three, John was destined for a career in the church. At the age of 15, he became Prince-Bishop of Liège, with the support of Pope Boniface IX. John's rule was a disaster. His authoritarian style clashed with the nobles and burghers of the Prince-Bishopric. He was expelled several times and saw even a counter-bishop being elected. John turned for help to his brother and brother-in-law. In 1408 a Burgundian army led by his brother-in-law John the Fearless went to the aid of John III against the citizens of Liège, who were in open revolt. On the field of Othée, on 12 September 1408, the men of Liège were decisively defeated, and Burgundian influence was extended over the city and over the bishopric of Liège. The ensuing executions of leading insurgents led to John's nickname "the Pitiless". When his brother died in 1417 and was succeeded by his daughter Jacqueline as Countess of Holland and Hainaut and Duchess of Bavaria-Straubing, John the Pitiless rejected holy orders and surrendered his bishopric. In 1418, John III married Elisabeth, Duchess of Luxembourg, who was then the widow of Antoine, Duke of Brabant. No children came from this marriage. With the aid of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, who was his wife's uncle, John III immediately started a civil war against his niece Jacqueline and her husband Duke John IV of Brabant. John the Pitiless supported the city of Dordrecht and Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy. A siege of Dordrecht in 1419 was unsuccessful, so John IV of Brabant agreed to start a joint administration with John III. Jacqueline herself as a woman, did not get a share in the political responsibility. John IV of Brabant finally gave up Holland and Hainaut and left the rule to John the Pitiless. His niece Jacqueline went to England in 1421 and married the king's brother, Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester. She was unable to retain control over Holland and Hainaut much longer after John's death. Bavaria-Straubing was divided between the dukes of Bavaria, the major portion of which went to Bavaria-Munich. John the Pitiless was known for the rich culture of his court; Jan van Eyck was among the artists he engaged, from at least 1422 until 1424. John the Pitiless died of poison in 1425 in The Hague. His Court Marshal Jan van Vliet had allegedly poisoned the pages of the ducal prayer-book, and had already been executed in 1424.

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