Catalog
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| Issuer | Sedan, Principality of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1632 |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Reverse description | A small tower surmounted by a fleur-de-lis, set upon a field strewn with fleurs-de-lis, all within a beaded inner circle. The legend, in Latin, commences at 12 o'clock and runs clockwise around the central device. The date 1632 is incorporated within the reverse legend. The tower is the heraldic device of the La Tour d'Auvergne family, lords of the Principality of Sedan. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Frédéric-Maurice de la Tour d'Auvergne ruled Sedan as a nominally independent principality wedged between France and the Spanish Netherlands, a position that demanded constant diplomatic contortion. His coinage mimicked the royal Double Tournois closely enough to circulate alongside French royal copper — a deliberate blurring of the line between sovereign issue and royal imitation. By 1642 he had abandoned the Protestant cause, converted to Catholicism, and surrendered much of his independence to Richelieu in exchange for military command, ending the principality's brief numismatic ambition within a decade of this issue.