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Écu d'or au soleil de Bretagne
| Issuer | France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1491 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A floriated cross with a quatrefoil at its center occupies the full field, dividing the reverse into four quadrants, each containing a crowned ermine spot referencing the Duchy of Brittany. The arms of the cross terminate in fleurs-de-lis, consistent with the fleurdelisé cross type. The Christogram legend encircles the design within a beaded border, invoking the triumphal formula of medieval royal coinage. |
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| Additional information |
This coin exists because of a dynastic crisis, not a mint schedule. Anne of Brittany's marriage to Maximilian I of Habsburg in 1490 was conducted by proxy and recognized by almost no one with the power to enforce it. Charles VIII of France moved troops into Brittany, and the resulting Treaty of Rennes in 1491 annulled her Habsburg marriage and transferred her — and her duchy — to the French crown. The Écu d'or au soleil de Bretagne was struck in that compressed political window while Brittany still maintained its own monetary prerogative, just before that independence was effectively extinguished.