BOHEMIA. Prag (Prague). Cast Medal (Gold, 50 mm, 20.66 g, 12 h), so-called 'Judenmedaille' in the weight of 6 Ducats. On the election of Ferdinand II (1578-1637) as Holy Roman Emperor in Frankfurt (Main), no date (1619). ✠AD•PERP•MEM•ELECT•FERDIN•II•R•HVN•ET•BOH•IN•REG•ROM Two female personifications, Peace on the left and War on the right, crowning Ferdinand II, seated on a throne and holding scepter in his right hand and globus cruciger in his left. Rev. FIDENTIA - LIBERALI - ÆQVITAS - VERITAS Laureate and draped bust of Ferdinand II to right within wreath; around, four circular medallions linked by wreaths containing allegorical personifications of Justice, Fortitude, Prudence, and Temperance. Bernhart 12. Förschner 52. Fuchs 134. Joseph/Fellner 339. Klein B 12. Montenuovo 749. Extremely rare. Somewhat rough and with the usual contemporary tooling, otherwise, about extremely fine.



Ferdinand II’s election as Holy Roman Emperor in August 1619, followed by his coronation in September - shown on this medal - consolidated Habsburg power at a critical moment in the opening phase of the Thirty Years’ War. At the same time, his accession deepened the Empire’s confessional divide, as he was a staunch advocate of the Catholic Counter-Reformation.

Ferdinand II’s relationship with the Jewish communities under his rule was marked by a striking tension between religious intolerance and political pragmatism. Although he maintained a firmly Catholic confessional order and supported efforts at conversion, he repeatedly protected Jewish communities from expulsion and confirmed important commercial and residential privileges, particularly where their economic and fiscal contributions served Habsburg interests. His policy was therefore less one of tolerance than of calculated protection within an otherwise discriminatory legal framework.