Denier - Louis IV Chinon mint

Louis IV, called "d'Outremer" — from beyond the sea — had spent his childhood in exile at the English court of Æthelstan after his mother fled West Francia following the deposition of his father Charles the Simple. He was retrieved from England in 936 and crowned at Laon, ruling in constant friction with the great magnates, particularly Hugh the Great, who controlled more of the kingdom in practice than the king himself. The Chinon mint operated under these contested circumstances, its output reflecting a royal authority that was perpetually negotiated rather than assured.