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I were buried in a hurry, in unsafe place – on the slope of the hillfort, hence the suggestion
that the owner had no opportunity to leave the castle in order to choose some safer place.
In any case it is an important complex of coins, which illustrates the structure of
currency in circulation in Livonia in the second quarter of the 15th century.
Turaida Hoard II also was unearthed on the western slope in a mixed layer, 4.6 m
westwards from the wall of the Semi-round Tower and 1.5 m northwards from the joint
(TMR 10023: 1–22). Twenty-three coins of the hoard were piled up. Of these, 14 were struck
in Tallinn, eight – in Tartu, and one – in Riga. The oldest coins: three pfennigs minted at
the time of the Bishop of Tartu, Bartholomäus Sawijerwe (1441–1459). The newest coins:
four pfennigs of Tallinn minted by the State of the Livonian Order in the 1470s (with two
stars above the shield). The major part of coins were struck in the middle and in the third
quarter of the 15th century. Of these, ten pfennigs were struck in Tallinn between 1430
and 1465, three pfennings were struck in the time of the Bishop of Tartu, Helmich von
Mallinckrodt (1459–1468), and two – in the time of the Bishop of Tartu, Andreas Peper
(1468–1473). The coinage of Riga was represented only by one pfennig of the Archbishop
Silvester Stodewescher. Judging by the newest coins, Turaida Hoard II was buried in the
1570s. Interestingly, the hiding place of this hoard is not far from the Semi-round Tower
again, hence the inference that the coins were hidden in a hurry. This time the reason for
hiding of money might be hostilities. Throughout the 15th century, Livonia saw continuous
conflicts between the Riga City, Archbishop, and the Order, as a result of which the owners
of Turaida Castle were changed several times. In the second half of the 15th century, the
relations between the Archbishop of Riga and the Livonian Order led to the outbreak of
hostilities. In 1479, the relations with the Order had become so strained that Archbishop
Sylvester Stodevesher requested support from Sten Sture, regent of Sweden. The Livonian
Order again had occupied some Archbishopric`s districts. The planned alliance with Sweden
was not established, since the forces of the Livonian Order had occupied 24 Archbishop’s
castles, including Turaida, and Archbishop was captured and imprisoned in Koknese. The
mutual battles lasted for several years. Only in 1485, Archbishop Michael Hildebrandt re-
gained Turaida Castle, and in 1486 negotiations were held there among Archbishop, the
Livonian Order, Riga City and Dom Chapter, with the participation of Swedish envoys,
in order to reach a mutual settlement of the dispute. However, the battles continued. The
Order suffered a heavy defeat at Turaida in 1490, when six commanders of the Order were
killed and six were captured.
2
Since then Turaida remained in the possession of archbishops.
What was the value of both the hoards, what could be bought for this money?
One shilling was equal to three pfennigs. Consequently, the first hoard which consisted
of 12 shillings were equalled to 36 pfennigs, whereas the second hoard contained only
The coins unearthed in the archaeological excavations at Turaida Castle