1/2 Teston - Francis I 16th type

The half teston was introduced under Francis I as part of a broader effort to rationalize French silver coinage following chronic shortages of good-quality circulating pieces in the early sixteenth century. Francis had inherited a fragmented monetary system and, after the financial strains of the Italian Wars and his ransoming from Spanish captivity in 1526, pressed the mints hard to maintain output. The 16th type designation reflects successive administrative retariffings rather than a redesign — the coin was revalued multiple times across its striking period as silver supplies and royal finances lurched between crisis and recovery.