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      French contemporaries      

Francis I ,   King of France 1515-1547
Henry II ,   King of France 1547-1559

 

Francis I ,   King of France 1515-1547
on coins
Francis I was Charles V most powerful opponent, apart from Sultan Süleyman of Turkey. Francis competed with Charles at the imperial election in 1519. In the battle of Pavia in 1525, Charles made him a captive and only released him after he had agreed to a hollow peace. His marriage to Charles's sister Eleanor did not prevent further battles against Charles in varying alliances: in the second war (1526-9) with the Pope, Milan and Venice, in the fourth war (1542-4) with the Duke of Cleves, the Pope and Sultan Süleyman. In the end, both their claims (Charles' claim to Burgundy and Francis' claim to Milan, Flanders and Artois) came to nothing. At home, Francis strengthened royal power and made the court the center of his country. He was ambitious and adventurous, a brilliant Renaissance monarch who loved the arts and literature.


Teston, 3rd type, n.d., Paris.     Ø 29mm   9,4g   Dupl.794
Obv.:   FRANCISCVS:I':Dei:GRAtia:FRAnCORum:REX   crowned bust
The "point secret" under the 18th letter (an A) indicates the mint of Paris.
Rev.:   XPS:VINCIT:XPS:REGNAT:XPS:IMPERat
"Christ conquers, Christ reigns, Christ commands"   French: "Christ vainc, Christ règne, Christ commande"
crowned French coat of arms (fleur-de-lis)
Teston is the French imitation of the Italian Testone (Ital. testa = head), the typical large coin of the Renaissance showing expressive portraits of sovereigns.



Écu with the weight of 4 Testons, 1537, Romans.   Ø 45mm, 38,25g.   Dupl.- ; Hoffmann 80 ; Dav.-
The Bavarian Coin Collection presents this piece in their permanent exhibition in Munich.
Obv.:   +·FRANCISCVS·DEI·GRATIA·FRANCORVM·REX·I   (I = mintmaster)   under the shoulder: 1537
Rev.:   +·SIT·NOMEN.DOMINI·BENEDICTVM·R·C   "Praise the name of the Lord."   R·C = ?
quartered arms: France | Dauphiné (dolphin).   The point under the 2nd letter (an I) indicates the mint of Romans.
Ref.: H. Hoffmann, Les monnaies royales de France depuis Hugues Capet jusqu'à Louis XVI, Paris, 1878. (page 106 & planche 59, no.80)
The Dauphiné was a largely independent feudal state in south-eastern France, situated between the river Rhone, the Alps and the Provence. Its duke inserted a dolphin into his coat of arms and therefore called himself Dauphin. The duchy was de jure part of the German empire, but in 1349 it fell to the French crown through inheritance. The French king used to pass it on to the Prince Royal in order to evade feudal duty. This triggered the tradition of naming the Prince Royal "Dauphin de France" even after the right of investiture was no longer upheld.



Teston, 25th type (1540-47), Lyon.     Ø 29mm   9,52g.   Duplessy 904 ; Hoffmann 81
Obv.:   + FRANCISCVS:D:GRA:FRANCORum·REX ♣
The circular point under the 12th letter stands for the mint of Lyon.
Rev.:   + NOn NOBIS DNE:SED:NOmI TVO:DA:GLORIAm·F ♣

"Not unto us, o Lord, but unto thy name give glory."     F = mintmaster François Guilhen
A circular point under the 12th letter of the legend.
Since 1540 a letter complements the "Point secret", here D below the arms for the mint of Lyon.


 

Henry II ,   King of France 1547-1559
on coins
Charles kept Henry II as hostage in Spain for 4 years until the Emperor relased his father Francis in 1526. Henry followed his father on the French throne in 1547 and continued his father's warfare against Charles V. Although he vigorously suppressed Protestants within his own kingdom, Henry promised troops and subsidies to Maurice of Saxony and the German Protestant princes who were fighting the Emperor in 1552. In return, they agreed to France's taking Toul, Verdun and Metz. Charles tried in vain to recapture Metz.
Henry introduced the rule to print the mint date on his coinage.


Teston 1549 D, Lyon.     9,44g.   Ciani 1264 ; Duplessy 981
Obv.:   +HENRICVS·2·DEI·GRAtia·FRANCORum·REX·F
Rev.:   +XPS(Christus)·VINCIT·XPS REGNAT·XPS·IMPErat·1549F
The "Point secret" under the 12th letter and the D under the arms indicate the mint of Lyon.
Hammered coinage.   Both sides have a central dot.


Teston 1554 A, Paris.     Ø 28mm, 9,57g.   Ciani 1285 ; Duplessy 990
Obv.:   HENRICVS·II·DEI·G·FRANCORum·REX
Rev.:   + CHRistuS·VINCIT CHRistuS REGNAT CHRistuS IMPerat (monogram EB) 1554

crowned arms of France with an A below indicating the mint of Paris.
Milled coinage ("du moulin") using perhaps a collar(*). This piece seems to be perfectly circular.
Touch the picture with the cursor to appreciate this.
In 1551 the mechanised mint "Monnaie du Moulin des Étuves" opened in Paris. The name refers to the water wheel "moulin" which was installed on a ship anchored in the river Seine. The water wheel drove the rolling mill designed to produce even gauge strips. The mint used the recently invented screw press or "balancier" for minting. It produced coins of improved quality since 1552. However, the moneyers' resistance shipwrecked the mint in 1558, and in France the screw press was not adopted for coinage for another century.
(*)   D.R.Cooper, The Art and Craft of COINMAKING, 1988, page 54.



Henri d'or, 1551 C, Saint-Lô.     Ø 25mm, 3,60g.   Ciani 1244 ; Dupl.972 ; Fr.368
Obv.:   HENRICVS·II·D·G·FRANCO·REX·
Rev.:   ¤DVM·TOTVM·COMPLEAT·ORBEM(mm.)1551
"Might he fill the universe"   in French: "Pour qu'il remplisse l'universe" or "jusque à sa plénitude"
Four crowned "H" form a cross, in the angles two lilies and two crescent moons.
In the middle: C for the mint of Saint-Lô.   Hammered coinage.



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