The Peace of Nijmegen, concluded in a series of treaties between 1678 and 1679, ended the Franco-Dutch War and represented a high-water mark of Louis XIV's diplomatic power — France gained Franche-Comté and a string of Flemish towns. Strasbourg's civic authorities marked the occasion with this pattern strike, though the city's own independence was short-lived: Louis annexed Strasbourg outright in September 1681, just two years after this piece was struck.
As a silver pattern of a ducat denomination, it occupies an odd technical category — ducats were a gold standard, and striking the type in silver suggests a presentation or trial purpose rather than any circulating intent.
The Peace of Nijmegen, concluded in a series of treaties between 1678 and 1679, ended the Franco-Dutch War and represented a high-water mark of Louis XIV's diplomatic power — France gained Franche-Comté and a string of Flemish towns. Strasbourg's civic authorities marked the occasion with this pattern strike, though the city's own independence was short-lived: Louis annexed Strasbourg outright in September 1681, just two years after this piece was struck.
As a silver pattern of a ducat denomination, it occupies an odd technical category — ducats were a gold standard, and striking the type in silver suggests a presentation or trial purpose rather than any circulating intent.