AR denier, 19mm, 1.32gr. Obv: +HENRICVS, central REX. Rev: VIRDVNI, cross with besant. Mint is Verdun. R8671; Dep 19A1, 1134 (16 examples).

AR denier, 19mm, 1.08 gr. Obv: HEINRICVS, central retrograde RIX. Besants between letters. Rev: a variation on VIRDVNI, mint is Verdun. R8672v legend unclear; B 169b. Also posted in Lorraine.

Otto I (961-973)

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AR denier, 21mm, 1.52 gr. Obv: +OADO - REX, central cross with four globes. Rev: S/COLONIA (retrograde)/A. Mint is Cologne. The reverse is a consistent design from Louis the Child (899 - 911; MEC 828) and later German issuers (MEC 999, MEC 1352). Attribution, given my resources is somewhat problematic but I lean towards Otto I, as did the seller. The coin's weight supports this. At 1.52 grams this is at the high end of the range of Otto I, II and III  coinage. For Otto I, Dannenberg 329 - 332  weights run  1.44, 1.6, 1.32, 1.39, 1.68, 1.42, 1.68, 1.36, 1.37, 1.39, 1.45, 1.54. Dan. does not show  an appropriate legend for Otto II. Dan shows weights for Otto III  for appropriate legends as 1.18, 1.38, 1.15, 1.32, .9, 1.0, 1.28.  While concluding weight leans towards Otto  I,  this coin does not match any of the Dan. Otto I  coins. Differences include a retrograde  reverse  COLONIA and an obverse OADO --X rather than  OTTO or ODDO. Diameter  also supports the  Otto I  attribution. 21mm is larger than the typical Otto III  coin.  Best attribution at this point is Dan 329a(v)

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AR denier, 17mm, 1.14gr. Obv: + IMPERATOR, central OTTO. Rev: +VVGVSTVS, central PAVIA. Mint is Pavia. Biaggi 1823.

Bill. denier, 20mm, 1.12gr. Obv: legend obscured, central O/T/T/O. Rev: legend obscured __EL___, should read ADELBERO, central church. Mint is Metz. R8702 as Adalberon I and Otto I. Flon 1-4, p.174.

Otto III (983-1002)

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AR denier, 16mm, 1.07gr. Obv: +HTERCIVSCL, central OTTO monogram. Rev: +INPERATOR, central PAPIA. Mint is Pavia. Biaggi 1827.

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AR denier, 22mm, 1.15gr. Obv: +OTOIMIIIATOI, central cross with four besants. This is a variation on OTTO IMPERATOR. Rev: degenerate legend, central temple. Mint is Milan. Biaggi 1406 as Otto II-III.

Otto II's wife, Thephanu, is buried in Cologne, in the church of St. Pantaleon. She was a Byzantine princess and mother of Otto III. Her marriage was a dynastic settlement of of conflict between Otto I and Byzantium. During Otto I's reign, he actively pursued his interests in Italy, often through his vassal/proxy Pandulf I 'Ironhead.' In 969 Otto I invaded Calabria, in Byzantine territory, but did not accomplish much and withdrew. Fighting continued without any significant territorial exchange and finally, in 972, "peace was sealed by the marriage of the emperor's son and heir, Otto II, with the the Byzantine princess Theophano." (Loud 24)

While Otto II might have made peace with Byzantium, he still faced the threat of Muslim invasion in the south. His army was defeated by an Islamic army under Abu al Qasim on July 13, 982 near Cape Colonna and he made his escape by swimming out to Byzantine ship. (Loud 26)

St. Pantaleon is supposedly a physician of Roman emperor Maximinianus and was beheaded for his faith about 305. The church was consecrated in 980 by bishop Bruno as part of a Benedictine monastery. The interior is spare. Thephanu's tomb is at the back right of the center picture. The schematic shows that the earlier church was added on to by the addition of the side isles.

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The side of her (new) tomb reads in part "UXOR ET MATER IMPERATORIS QUAE BASILICAM SANCTI PANTALEONIS."

AR denier, 17mm, 1.71gr. Obv: ODDO ---AGI, central cross with four besants. Rev: +S --- IATS. Mint is Koln.

The image is from Beckwith (image 85) "Otto III enthroned receiving the homage of the four parts of the Empire, Slavinia, Germania, Gallia and Roma, from the Gospel book of Otto III, 997-1000."

Otto III/Adelheid

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AR phennig, 18mm., 1.55gr. Obv: +DIUR_+REX, center cross with O/D/O/D. Rev: .AICA__HI(?), central church. Mint is Goslar. Bonhoff Auktion 27/27.10.1977 #285.

Otto is buried in Aachen, in the Dom initially built by Charlemagne and built on in subsequent centuries. His tomb today is in the newer gothic addition.

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Rudolf III (993-1032)

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AR obol, 15mm, .62gr. Obv: +DODVLFVS, central cross. Rev: +LVCDVNVS, central temple. Mint is Lyon. PdA 5018; Boud 1124v; not in R but his 1891 is a denier of Rudolf II with the same legends. Rudolf II is not in the other sources.

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AR denier, 20mm, 1.36gr. Obv: +RODVLFVS, central cross. Rev: +LVGVNVS, central temple. Mint is Lyon. Dep 536 (3 examples); Bel 989 (cites a weight of 1.26gr.); Prou 638 (cites a weight of 1.3gr.); PdA 5015 (weight 1.25gr.); Boud 1123; not in MEC, R. Roberts 1891 cites this as Rudolf II but it is cross referenced to PdA image 112.12, which is his 5017, or Rudolf III. Grierson, in CME (p53 #111) also cites this as Rudolf III and once again cross references it to PdA 5017, or Rudolf III. Poey d'Avant is fairly pointed in his criticism in his footnote on this series in taking to task his contemporary cataloguers who called it Rudolf II or attributed it to other mints.

HRE Henry II seized Burgundian lands around Basel and forced Rudolf III to recognize him as his heir. Rudolf did this since he had no children of his own and Henry was his nephew.

AR denier, 21mm, 1.18gr. Obv: +HINRICVS REX MET, central temple. Rev: +DEODERICVS, central cross with four besants. This coin is weakly struck. Minted in Metz by Thierry II, brother in law of Henry II and archbishop of Metz. Boud 1611; seller (Hagadorn) id as Wendling/ll/D/c/7. Here is a sketch of the coin (right - from Wendling) that shows how the legend should appear.
 
 

The image is from Beckwith (image 94) "Christ crowning King Henry II and Queen Kunigunde between St. Peter and St. Paul (from Henry II's book of Pericopes, 1002-10014."

AR denier, 20mm, 1.15gr. Obv: +HEINRTCVS REX (S horizontal), central cross. Rev: RENA CIVITAS, central temple with ECCO through the middle. Mint is Regensburg. Bonhoff 1947 which also cites Hahn 27c. Dannenberg 1074. Seller (Elsen) cites D91-3b, Jeel 289.

The designation of Henry II as heir did not sit well with the Burgundians and Otto-William, who earlier had fought Robert II of France over a different Burgundian inheritance, led a revolt against this arrangement. Henry died in 1024 and was succeeded by Conrad II, first of the Franconian line and new HRE. Conrad had at best a tenuous claim to Burgundy. However Otto-WIlliam also died about this time (1026) and Conrad married a niece of Rudolf III, creating a better claim. Rudolf passed Burgundy on to Conrad II on his death in 1032, by passing another potential heir.

AR denier, 19mm, 1.35gr. Obv: CONRADVS REX, central cross with PI/LI/GR/IM. The central letters are the name of the archbishop Pilgrim (1021-36). Rev: SANCTA COLONIA, central temple. Mint is Koln. Ex Chouin. Hav 22i (a source I've not seen).

Conrad is buried in the attractive Kaiserdom in Speyer. First is model of what the earlier church looked like. This is followed by and interior view, showing a nice Romanesque structure. This is followed by two exterior views of the Dom as it appears today.

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The crypt is extensive. The green area to the bottom of the first image is the burial section for a number of HREs. The next picture shows the open part of the crypt, corresponding to the upper portion of the schematic.

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The first image is a detail of the green section of the previous schematic. Here the HRE's are entombed. #1 is Conrad II, #2 is Henry III (died October 5, 1056) and #3 is Henry (died August 7, 1106). The next image is taken looking into this crypt section, essentially from the top of the green as seen above. Conrad is to the left, next comes Henry III and then on the right is Henry IV.

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While Conrad is buried in Speyer, many of his relatives are buried in Worms. The Cathedral of St. Peter was burned, along with the rest of the city, by the French in 1689. It was restored as a Baroque church during the 19th C. The crypt is new - finished in 1906. The first image is a model of the cathedral complex during the middle ages. This is followed by two exterior views of the church. Next are two images from the crypt.

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Conrad's relatives buried here include
    Konrad de Rote, Hertzog and Lotharingia, great grandfather, died 955 fighting the Magyars
    Judith, died grandmother, died 991
    Henry v. Speyer, father, died 990
    Conrad v. Karnted, uncle, died 1011
    Mathilde v. Karnted, aunt, died 1031
    Prinzessin Judith, sister, died 998
    Prinzessin Mathilde, daughter, died 1034
    Bishop Azecho

AR denier, 18mm, 1.43gr. Obv: +CHVOURADVS IMP, central cross and four besants. Rev: NNAPCHE, central temple with COL/./NIA on two lines in the center. Mint is Cologne. Bonhoff 1555 which cites Hav 251.

Rudolph  III's most logical heir was his nephew Odo of Blois. Odo did not take the disenfranchisement lightly and contested Conrad's right to rule. After some initial success by Odo, the tide swung in favor of Conrad and by 1034 Conrad was in the ascendant. The issue was finally resolved when Odo died in battle in 1037. Had Odo (Eudes) prevailed in this conflict, these lands would have become French much earlier then they ultimately did.

Comté de Chartres. Eudes II, 1004-1037. Obole. Tête à droite, encadrée de deux besants, dessous, trois triangles. Rv. CARTIS CIVITAS, croix. 0.54g. Mint is Chartres. PA.1736. Image from Yves Cellard - Argenor. I believe this Eudes II was simultaneously Count of Blois from 996 - 1037.

Conrad II, in turn,  was succeeded by his son Henry III.

AR denier, 18mm, 1.26gr. Obv: +HEINRICVS, central cross. Rev: +LVGDVNVS, central ‘S.’ Mint is Lyon. R1896, Boud 1127, PdA 5025, CXII#22.

AR denier, 19mm., 1.14gr. Obv: +VRBS VIENNA, central H. Rev: S.MAVRICIVS, central cross. Mint is Vienne. R3975 as Conrad II, which is unusual given the central H; Boud 1041, PdA 4820. This coin is likely 11th C.

Henry III was second in a line of five rulers with a Franconian background. Burgundy was ruled as a separate entity, but was essentially a part of the HRE.

Henry was unusual in that he came to power peacefully, due to the power base his father created and the stability of the kingdom. In fact, this century was to usher in an era of prosperity for Burgundy and Europe in general. This was a welcome respite for an area that had been plundered by Vikings, threatened by Saracens and invaded by Magyars. Cope notes that while Burgundy ceased to have an independent ruler, it flourished as a religious center. The growing influence of the Cluniac order, based in Burgundy, illustrates this importance.

Turk (39) characterizes Henry’s contribution like this: “Henri reformed the court and church and even declared a day of indulgence to forgive all his enemies... He subdued Poland, Hungary and Bohemia, making them pay homage. In 1046 he called a number of church synods in order to gain control of the papal election. Claiming the right, as emperor, to nominate the pope, he had sufficient power to depose three elected popes in order to make his own selection. ….The security of the German imperial state required internal peace, collaboration with the pope, and peace with the neighboring states. Henry III attained all these, and was, without doubt, the strongest of the German medieval rulers.”

Pope Leo IX, Henry’s cousin and former bishop of Toul, was a sincere reformer of the church leading to such changes as the forbidding of carrying arms by the clergy and enforcing the rule of celibacy. This wave of reform led to the excommunication of some of the nobility who married too close (consanguinity) and deposed a number of bishops found morally wanting. (Duby 104) `

Henry sought to influence events in France beyond Burgundy. For example, he allied himself with Geoffrey of Anjou as he (Geoffrey) expanded his territory north into Maine. Geoffrey pursued his interests in Italy, Provence and Lorraine, again with Henri’s support. The two were related by marriage, which strengthened the tie. (Dunbabin 188)

There is an interesting story about Henry seeking political advantage through relics that also illustrates his desire to influence affairs beyond his realm. From Duby (135): “The monks of St. Emeream at Regensburg announced that they had accidentally discovered the body of St. Denis, maintaining that king Arnulf had taken the body in the course of a plundering expedition. The Emperor Henry III gave them a hearing, well aware of the advantage of having the patron of the Merovingian kings and Pippin the Short in his hands. The reaction in France was strong, and Henry I of France had the coffin at St. Denis opened to confirm that the martyr’s bones rested there.”

Unfortunately, Henri was succeeded by his six year old son and the centralization of power and control he achieved began to unravel.

AR denier, 19mm, 1.3gr. Obv: +HENRICVS, central R in field. Rev: +LVCVDNVS, central cross. Mint is Lyon. R1897; Boud 1127; PdA 5027.

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AR denier, 21mm, 1.22gr. Obv: ...IIV, legend illegible, facing crowned bust. Rev: legend illegible, facing bust. Mint is Strasbourg. Seller ID Kluge 149. Not in R, Dan or any of the other few German sources I have. Ex Kunker 2 (1992 - 2394; ex Stack 1/12/09 3610.

 Henry III or Henry IV

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AR denero, 17mm ,1.29gr. Obv: AVCVSTVS, central H/RIC/N. Rev: +INPERATOR,  central PA/PAI. Mint is Pavia. Biaggi 1834. THis will require some more research. Biaggi ID's this as Henry III but dates it 1056+, which are the dates for Henry IV.

AR brakteat, 21mm, .53gr. Single sided coin with lion passant. Mint is Brunswick. Berger 407, Bonhoff 92 (ID by Singer).

There were at least two later events linking the Germanic control over Burgundy to aspirations of nobles to a crown of an independent Burgundian kingdom. The first was Charles of Anjou (1246-85) and the second was Charles the Bold, Valois duke of Burgundy.

AR, 18mm, 1.39gr. Obv: Text, king holding a spear and object. Rev: _ D I + O A _, central palace. Mint is Aachen. Seller id's as Men 33-34v.

AR denero scodellato, 17mm, .87gr. Obv: +FREDERICVS, in the field IPRT. Rev: +MED/IOLA/NVM. Mint is Milan. Biaggi 1418.

The very attractive Kloster Eberbach was built during his reign. The basilica was built in two segments, from 1145 - 60 and from 1170 - 86. A Cistercian abbey was on the site longer, but the church rebuilt at this time. The interior has the stark simplicity and beauty characteristic of Cistercian churches.

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Charles V: HRE

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Copper court, 1543, 1.78gr. Obv: outer text, central portrait. Rev: central lion. Mint is Antwerpen.

Sources: (for full citations see references)

Calmette, J., The Golden Age of Burgundy

Cope, C., The Lost Kingdom of Burgundy

Duby, G., France in the Middle Ages 987 - 1460

Dunbabin, J., France in the Making 843- 1180

Riche, The Carolingians.

Turk, E., The History of Germany