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Gold Ecu with sun - Francis I 7th type
| Issuer | France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1519 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | + FRANCISCVS D G FRANCORVM REX A (Translation: Francis, by God's grace, king of the Franks.) |
| Reverse description | A floriated cross with a central quadrilobe in the heart occupies the full reverse field, its arms extending to the inner border. The four cantons of the cross are charged alternately with two crowned letters F and two fleurs-de-lis, arranged in diagonal opposition, reinforcing the royal and dynastic symbolism of the reign of Francis I. The cross design is executed in the elaborate Gothic-Renaissance transitional style typical of early sixteenth-century French royal gold coinage. The circumferential legend, divided by the cross terminals, carries the traditional Christological invocation between two linear borders. |
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| Additional information |
Francis I inherited a gold coinage already complicated by decades of successive type revisions, and his seventh ecu type represents the final refinement before his administration settled on a more stable standard. The "with sun" designation distinguishes it from earlier ecu types by the placement of a sun symbol above the shield — a detail that also aids attribution when the legends are worn or clipped, which they frequently are on circulated examples.
1519 was the year Charles of Habsburg was elected Holy Roman Emperor, directly threatening French interests and triggering the rivalry that would define Francis's reign. The royal treasury was under considerable strain financing both diplomacy and military preparation.