5 Groats Vic,lozenge

This coin belongs to one of the most volatile episodes in Iberian history: the Corpus de Sang of June 1640, when Catalan reapers murdered the Viceroy of Catalonia in Barcelona, triggering a full revolt against Philip IV of Spain. The Principality declared itself a republic briefly before placing itself under French protection, and coinage struck in Catalonia's own name during 1641 reflects that rare window of autonomous authority — an assertion of political separation backed by French arms and Catalan institutional fury.

The lozenge privy mark distinguishes this issue from others in the series struck under differing administrative arrangements during the rebellion years.