1 Ecu - Honoré II

Honoré II secured the title "Prince" from Louis XIII in 1612 — the first ruler of Monaco to hold that rank — but spent decades navigating between Spanish and French suzerainty before formally aligning with France in 1641 under the Treaty of Péronne. These écus, struck across nearly a decade of that new arrangement, reflect a principality still asserting independent coinage rights despite its precarious geopolitical position between two major powers. The weight standard follows the French écu blanc closely, a deliberate alignment with the new patron state.