How Far Back Can We Go? Eighth Edition! We Need - 1366 C. E. (A. H. 767) Help US John Conduit!

Fantastic!

Second coin from my mini date run: Trier 3 Petermenger 1706:

Excellent!

Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt
1705-IAR 2 Albus of Ernst Ludwig

... and follow with a 1704 1/12 thaler:

1703 - 4 Kreuzer (Batzen)
Duchy of Wurttemberg.
Duke Eberhard Ludwig. Count of Montbeliard, Lord in Heidenheim and Teck

There was an immense amount of intrigue, deal-making and scandal that took place among the various royal houses of Germany and Austria from the 15th through the 18th centuries -- certainly enough drama to make for several good TV series. Wars, civil and otherwise? Alliances forged, broken, and reforged again? Plotting and scheming? Lots of romance? Lots of backstabbing? Huge theological and ideological conflicts? Arranged marriages between people who hated each other? Secret government councils and unseen hands maneuvering puppet leaders? Underhanded double-dealing between church officials and royals? Yes to all and much more besides.

Our Duke here took a mistress despite being married already and a father. After marrying said mistress, he moved with her to new digs and left his wife in the old palace to keep a lonely watch there. He was forced by Charles VI to divorce his mistress due to the scandal his bigamy caused until a marriage of convenience had been arranged that brought her back into the royal court, where he proceeded to carry on relations with her (and also made her part of his ruling council.) His first wife refused him a divorce.

Fast forward about 20 years, and the early death of his only son and heir meant that succession might pass to a Catholic line within the House of Wurttemberg, something which the staunchly Lutheran Duke could not abide -- so he called on his wife to make another heir with him after having ignored her for almost 25 years, an effort which if successful would have preserved a Protestant line of rule.

In order to attempt to hurriedly regain some favor with his long-abandoned wife, his mistress was accused of witchcraft and of having hexed the Duke and was summarily exiled.

(Spoiler: It didn't work -- he kicked the bucket without having another heir. His long-suffering wife got the last laugh and outlived him by twenty more years.)

@Spence, that's a lovely example!