Leopold Eberhard ruled Montbéliard — a small German-speaking enclave surrounded by French territory — in a state of near-permanent political crisis. Louis XIV had occupied the county in 1676 and again in 1702, and by 1710 Leopold Eberhard's actual authority over his own mint was largely theoretical. That coins were struck at all during this period reflects dynastic stubbornness more than administrative control. The French crown formally annexed Montbéliard in 1793, ending three centuries of Württemberg-related rule.
Leopold Eberhard ruled Montbéliard — a small German-speaking enclave surrounded by French territory — in a state of near-permanent political crisis. Louis XIV had occupied the county in 1676 and again in 1702, and by 1710 Leopold Eberhard's actual authority over his own mint was largely theoretical. That coins were struck at all during this period reflects dynastic stubbornness more than administrative control. The French crown formally annexed Montbéliard in 1793, ending three centuries of Württemberg-related rule.