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1⁄16 Ecu of Flanders - Louis XIV
| Issuer | Monnaie de Lille |
|---|---|
| Year | 1686-1688 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Crowned quartered coat of arms displaying France modern (azure semy-de-lis or, reduced to three fleurs-de-lis) in the first and fourth quarters, modern Burgundy in the second quarter, and ancient Burgundy (bendy or and azure, a bordure gules) in the third quarter, consistent with the arms of Flanders-type ecus struck for the recently annexed southern provinces. The royal crown surmounts the shield. The mint letter identifying the Lille workshop appears in the exergue beneath the shield. The reverse legend SIT. NOMEN. DOMINI. BENEDICTVM. with the date 1686 encircles the design, the phrase being a Scriptural invocation meaning 'Blessed be the name of the Lord.' |
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| Reverse lettering | SIT. NOMEN. DOMINI. BENEDICTVM. 1686 |
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| Additional information |
Louis XIV's campaigns in the Spanish Netherlands left France administering Flemish territories whose populations remained deeply suspicious of French rule. The 1/16 écu denomination was chosen specifically for Flemish circulation — a concession to local commercial habits rather than Parisian monetary convention. The Lille mint, operating under its own administrative structure even after France formally acquired the city in 1667, produced this fractional silver for a regional economy that still thought in Flemish terms.
The three-year window of production reflects the broader monetary reforms of the 1680s, when Colbert's successor Le Peletier was wrestling with chronic silver shortages across French mints.