1638 Thaler (Dav-5518)

Since the Protestant Reformation, Magdeburg had been a safe haven for Lutherans. When the Thirty Years' War broke out, the city sided with King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden against the Holy Roman Emperor. By the time Gustavus Adolphus had made inroads in Pomerania, the Count of Tilly had already begun besieging Magdeburg on March 20th, 1631.

After two months of constant bombardment with no signs of surrender, Tilly ordered his 40,000 troops to storm the city. Unbeknownst to the Count, the City Council had voted the day before to begin surrender negotiations.

There are written reports of attackers setting fire to single houses to dislodge defenders, and the fire then spreading throughout the city. By 10 A.M. most of Magdeburg was on fire; many victims suffocated or burned to death. The wind fanned the flames, destroying all but 200 buildings. As Magdeburg was razed, many Imperial soldiers lost control. Unpaid, they demanded valuables from every household. There are reports of gang rapes of minors and the torture of citizens for valuables. Of the 25,000 inhabitants, only 5,000 survived. Tilly finally ordered an end to the looting on May 24th, and a Catholic mass was celebrated in the Cathedral the next day. For fourteen days, charred bodies were dumped in the Elbe River.

An Imperial soldier wrote in his journal: "The streets were littered with naked corpses, with many women drowned headfirst in a beer barrel. 5 or 6 waves of soldiers went to each house demanding all valuables & when the poor citizenry had none, they were raped, tortured, & slaughtered where they stood."

In 1638, a new administrator was empowered on behalf of the Holy Roman Emperor, and a ceremony was held with this Thaler struck to commemorate it. The coin is extremely rare - the last major auction sale was in 2019.