Charles Emmanuel I died in July 1630 at Savigliano, having spent nearly his entire reign at war — with France, Spain, and whoever else presented an opportunity. This memorial issue was struck in the immediate aftermath of his death, during one of the worst moments in Savoyard history: the duchy was simultaneously occupied by French and Spanish forces, and plague was tearing through Piedmont as part of the broader catastrophe that killed perhaps a third of northern Italy's population that year.
The timing makes surviving examples remarkable. Mint activity in Turin was severely disrupted through 1630–31, and death coinage of this type saw nothing resembling normal circulation.
Charles Emmanuel I died in July 1630 at Savigliano, having spent nearly his entire reign at war — with France, Spain, and whoever else presented an opportunity. This memorial issue was struck in the immediate aftermath of his death, during one of the worst moments in Savoyard history: the duchy was simultaneously occupied by French and Spanish forces, and plague was tearing through Piedmont as part of the broader catastrophe that killed perhaps a third of northern Italy's population that year.
The timing makes surviving examples remarkable. Mint activity in Turin was severely disrupted through 1630–31, and death coinage of this type saw nothing resembling normal circulation.