SWIDNICA
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Swidnica, or German: Schweidnitz, as a town traditionally dates back to 1250. But no founding act has survived that would confirm this fact. In the beginning, the town belonged to the Princedom of Wroclaw and experienced two important privileges conducive to its development. By 1290, Swidnica had city walls and six gates, crafts and trade were blossoming, and it had become the capital of the entire princedom. At the end of the 14th century the city was under control of Bohemia, part of the Holy Roman Empire and a long period of growth began. In 1471, there were 47 trade guilds in operation, nearly 300 homes had the rights to brew beer, and large cattle and hops fairs were organized.

In 1526, all of Silesia, including Swidnica, came under direct Habsburg rule. It was a turbulent time in the history of these lands. First, came the Thirty Years' war (1618-1648) ravaged all of Silesia, followed by the Silesian War, etc. As a consequence, in 1740 everything was controlled by the Prussians, and the town itself was turned into a fortress. Changing from one hand to another had its advantages, however. The culture and tradition of several European nations mingled: Czechs, Hungarians, Austrians, Prussians and Poles, not to mention that each of them left valuable tokens, especially in the town's architecture. Tourists today should be sure to see the Gothic Church of St.s Stanislav and Vaclav from the 14th century, with the highest tower in Silesia, standing 103 meters tall; the evangelical church of the Holy Trinity built from 1652-57; the town hall from the beginning of the 16th century, renovated numerous times and combining Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architectural elements; the Baroque church of St. Joseph; or the Church of St. Christopher from the same era. One remaining element of the former defensive works is the chapel of St. Barbara, but there are other interesting sites, as well.

Louis II Jagiellon (1516-1526)

Louis was the son of Ladislaus V Jagiello and his fourth wife, Anne de Foix. His father died in 1516 and the minor Louis II ascended to the throne of Hungary and Bohemia upon his father's death. Louis had been adopted by Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I in 1515. When Maximilian I died in 1519, Louis was raised by his legal guardian Georg von Hohenzollern, margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach. Louis owed allegiance to the Imperial Habsburgs as a member of the Order of the Golden Fleece.

In 1522 Louis II was married to Mary of Habsburg, a Habsburg princess, granddaughter of Maximilian I, as stipulated by an Imperial congress at Vienna in 1515. His sister Anne was married to Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, then a governor on behalf of his brother Charles V, and later Emperor Ferdinand I. Louis died at the Battle of Mohács in 1526. Ferdinand and Anne succeeded him in his Kingdom of Bohemia, but Hungary, largely conquered by the Turks, was further put into succession dispute between John Zápolya on one hand and Ferdinand and Anne on the other.

Half Groschen
Struck continuously from 1518-1526, the example below is a fascinating historical coin struck in the year that Louis was killed and the Habsburg family took control of Hungary, Bohemia, and Silesia.