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Gold Ecu - Charles IX and successor XPS REGNAT VINCIT ET IMP
| Issuer | France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1564-1575 |
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| Currency | Livre tournois (1204-1795) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A floriated cross, composed of four fleurs-de-lis arranged at the cardinal points and joined at a central lozenge-shaped boss, occupies the full field of the coin. The arms of the cross terminate in stylized lily heads, giving the design its characteristic ornate appearance typical of the French écu au soleil type. The mint mark G for Poitiers appears within the central lozenge of the cross. The encircling Latin legend, separated from the cross by a beaded inner border, reads clockwise with pellet stops between words, and the date 1566 is incorporated into the legend. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The XPS REGNAT legend — "Christ reigns, conquers, and commands" — was adopted on French royal gold during the Wars of Religion, a deliberate assertion of divine authority at a moment when the Crown's legitimacy was being contested by armed Calvinist forces across the kingdom. Charles IX was nine years old at his accession; real power rested with Catherine de Medici as regent, which makes the thunderous confidence of that legend read as something close to propaganda.
The span 1564–1575 bridges two reigns, covering Charles IX's death in 1574 and the accession of Henri III.