Replica of silver thaler of three emperors standard

Matthias II Habsburg was the third son of emperor Maximilian II and his cousin Maria, younger brother of Rudolf II. After the death of second-born brother Ernest in 1595 he gradually seized power in all central European possessions of the Habsburg House at the expense of his brother Rudolf II. Three-emperors’ thaler was probably supposed to express the legitimity of his position. Matthias II is depicted on the obverse side, while the reverse side features busts of three of his ancestors – his great-grandfather and founder of the extensive power of the Habsburg family emperor Maximilian I (1486–1516), his paternal great-uncle and founder of the Spanish side of the family emperor Karel V (1516–1556) and his grandfather and forefather of the Austrian line of the family emperor Ferdinand I (1556–1564).