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Double sol parisis - Charles IX
| Issuer | France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1569-1576 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central field displays three fleurs-de-lys arranged in a 2-and-1 formation, all surmounted by a royal crown within a decorative wreath. The design is rendered in the characteristic hammered style of the French royal mint under Charles IX. A beaded inner border frames the central motif, with the circumferential Latin legend running between the inner and outer beaded borders. The overall composition reflects the established Valois heraldic tradition of displaying the arms of France. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | CARO IX.D.G.FRAN. REX.G.M.D.L.X.X (Translation: Charles IX by the grace of God King of the Franks, 1570.) |
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| Additional information |
Charles IX authorized the double sol parisis as part of the monetary reforms codified in the Edict of Roussillon (1563), which also standardized the French fiscal year. By 1569, the Wars of Religion had already devastated royal finances, and silver coinage was being debased incrementally to fund Huguenot suppression campaigns. The .529 fineness reflects that pressure directly — earlier issues in the series ran considerably finer.
The type spans the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre of 1572 and Charles's death in 1574, yet the coinage itself continued under Charles's nominal authority through 1576, well into Henry III's reign, as existing dies and warrants ran their course at provincial mints.