1976 Gold Austrian 1000 Schilling Bullion Coin

1976 Austrian 1000 Schilling Gold Coin.

These attractive commemorative coins celebrate the millennium of the advent of the Babenberg dynasty, the rulers of Austria from 976 till 1246.

They contain 0.3906 troy ounces of gold, struck in .900 fineness.

Who were the Babenbergs?

Descended from a powerful Frankish family of the 9th century, they were amongst the most famous rulers of early Medieval Europe. The Holy Roman Emperor Otto II created Count Leopold of Babenberg margrave of the Eastern march (i.e. Austria) in AD 976 ('Margrave' is the German equivalent of the noble rank 'marquess'. The margraves guarded the frontiers of the Holy Roman Empire against Charlemagne). Among Leopold's successors were Leopold III (1073-1136), who became patron saint of Austria after his canonisation in 1485, and Henry II, the first Duke of Austria from 1156-1177. Duke Leopold V (1177-1194) took part in the Third Crusade but a quarrel with Richard I of England led to Richard's imprisonment in one of Leopold's castles. The 'Lionheart' was eventually freed but only after an enormous ransom had been paid.

Leopold VI (1198-1230) brought the Babenberg dynasty its greatest power and status. He married the Byzantine princess Theodora Angeloi, thus allying Austria with the powerful Byzantine Empire. Under Leopold's rule the Gothic style of architecture reached Austria - his palace of Klosterneuberg is known as the first Gothic building on the Danube.

End of the Dynasty

In 1251 Austria passed to Ottocar II of Bohemia, thus ending nearly 300 years of Babenberg rule. Under the Babenbergs, Austria had become prosperous and secure, maintaining friendly relations with its neighbours. The Babenbergs had achieved all this by using, amongst other things, intermarriage with some of the most powerful ruling families in Europe. It can be said that the Babenbergs were in part responsible for the multinational character of the later Habsburg empire.

The obverse features the heraldic eagle of the Austrian Republic with the legend:

REPUBLIK ÖSTERREICH SCHILLING 1000

The reverse shows a knight carrying a pennant on horseback within a circle. This is surrounded by the legend:

976 - 1976 EINSETZUNG DER BABENBERGER