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Gold Ecu with sun - Henry I of Albret
| Issuer | Béarn, Lordship of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1517-1555 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 3.31 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | HENRICVS D G REX NAVAR D B (Translation: Henry, by God`s grace, king of Navarre, lord of Bearn.) |
| Reverse description | Central field displays a large floriated cross with fleurs-de-lis at each terminal, a sun or small ornament positioned above the crossing point — the defining feature of the 'écu au soleil' type — all contained within a raised inner circle. The design fills the field in the characteristic style of French feudal gold écus of the early sixteenth century. The outer legend, running between the inner and outer beaded borders, reads GRATIA DEI SVM ID QVOD SVM, a biblical motto (1 Corinthians 15:10) asserting Henry's legitimacy by divine grace. The hammered flan displays the irregular outline typical of hand-struck coinage of the period. |
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| Additional information |
Henry I of Albret, lord of Béarn and king of Navarre in title if not in effective territory — the bulk of his ancestral kingdom having been seized by Ferdinand II of Aragon in 1512 — continued to strike independent coinage throughout his reign as a pointed assertion of sovereign authority over what remained. Béarn's monetary independence from the French crown was a long-standing privilege, jealously maintained. The sun privy mark situates this issue within a specific phase of the Pau mint's activity, though the broad 1517–1555 window has made precise attribution within the reign difficult for researchers.