1 Daler - Sigismund of Poland

Reverse

Crowned quartered shield with arms of Sweden (The Three Crowns), Poland, Folkungs Lion, Lithuania and seal of the House of Vasa superimposed in center, divides two-digit date, all within beaded circle, crown extending through at top.

Script: Latin

Lettering: GOTORVM·WANDALORVM·Q·&·POLONIÆ·REX·

Translation: King of both the Goths and Wends, and of Poland

Comment

Beginning in 1587 with the blessings of Stanislaw Karnkowski, the primate of Poland, Sigismund became King of Poland, Grand Duke of Lithuania, Ruthenia, Prussia, Masovia, Samogitia, Livonia and also hereditary king of the Swedes, Goths and Wends; the later titles resulting from his father's claims to the Swedish throne. However it was not until 1594, the year this coin was struck, after having declared Lutheranism as the official religion of Sweden, that Sigismund was crowned King of Sweden. While sharing the same monarch, Poland and Sweden never were politically united, with many in Sweden convinced that Sigismund's ultimate goal was to bring Sweden back into the Catholic fold, much as he did with the Orthodox Church in the Ukraine. That he was allowed to become King of Sweden at all speaks volumes about his power and influence, and while the arrangement lasted but a few short years, it helped define the zenith of Sigismund's reign both within the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth as well as the surrounding hinterlands.

Interesting fact