Rudolf II Habsburg was the oldest son of emperor and king Maxmilian II and his cousin Maria. During his reign Rudolf II supported the development of sciences and arts in the Czech lands. It was a consequence of the emperor’s decision to reside at the Prague Castle. As a result, Prague and the entire Bohemia became (for the last time in history) the cultural and political centre of Central Europe. And minting did not lag behind, as examples of coins struck in this period testify, for example the mintmaster’s Jiří Kádner (1576–1582) Jáchymov thaler with the imperial eagle featured on the reverse of the coin.