1 Gold Ecu - Henry II

Henry II inherited the French throne in March 1547 and immediately faced pressure to assert fiscal legitimacy distinct from his father Francis I. The gold écu au soleil had been the backbone of royal coinage for decades, but Henry's early issues — struck across multiple mints simultaneously — show considerable variation in execution, a direct consequence of decentralized production under the *Ordonnance* system where provincial mint masters held significant autonomy.

The Dy968 attribution covers a narrow window before Henry's monetary reforms tightened specifications in subsequent years.