1 Écu - Louis XIII

The 1641 écu blanc was the product of a sweeping monetary ordinance issued by Louis XIII that year, which overhauled French silver coinage and established a new, heavier standard for the écu — part of a broader effort to stabilize royal finances strained by the Thirty Years' War and Richelieu's aggressive foreign policy expenditures. The reform was administratively contentious; several provincial mints resisted the transition, and output from Paris in the first year was uneven.

Divo's reference 1345 covers both 1641 and 1642 under a single type, but the two years can differ in die execution. Louis XIII died in May 1643, making the 1642 strikes among the last silver issues of his reign.