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Franc with four H - Henry II 1st type
| Issuer | Béarn, Lordship of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1579-1582 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Armored and crowned bust of Henry II of Navarre facing right, with a lion's head pauldron at the shoulder. The effigy is rendered in high relief typical of late 16th-century French feudal coinage. The portrait is framed by a beaded inner circle, with the royal legend disposed around the periphery in Latin capitals. The king's armor is depicted with fine detail, and the crown is shown prominently above the regal profile. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Henry II of Navarre — later Henry IV of France — governed Béarn as a sovereign lordship, and its coinage operated under separate authority from the French royal mint system throughout his tenure. The "four H" arrangement on this franc signals a deliberate dynastic display, the monogram repeated to fill the compositional field in a manner associated with his mother Jeanne d'Albret's earlier coinage traditions from the same lordship.
The 1579–1582 dating places production squarely within the Wars of Religion, when Béarn functioned as a Protestant stronghold and its mint at Pau maintained output despite chronic regional instability.