Double Tournois of Dauphine - Louis XI

Louis XI inherited the Dauphiné not as king but as the rebellious dauphin who had governed the province in defiance of his father Charles VII — fleeing to Burgundy in 1456 rather than face arrest. When he finally ascended the throne in 1461, he retained the Dauphiné's distinct monetary tradition rather than immediately folding it into the royal coinage, a pragmatic acknowledgment of provincial identity from a ruler who preferred political maneuvering to direct confrontation.

The billon content of these pieces varied considerably across the reign as Louis repeatedly manipulated alloy standards to extract seigniorage revenue — a chronic habit that drew formal complaints from merchants throughout the Loire valley.