Maille Blanche - Charles IV

Charles IV inherited a monetary system already strained by his father Philip IV's notorious currency manipulations — debasements and revaluations so aggressive they had contributed to the political crisis that destroyed the Templars. The Maille Blanche issued under Charles represented a brief period of relative monetary stability, though his reign saw continued pressure on silver coinage as the crown struggled to fund administration without the Templar wealth that had propped up earlier Capetian finances.

Charles IV died in 1328 without a male heir, ending the direct Capetian line after over three centuries. Coins of his reign carry an inadvertent historical weight as the last issues of a dynasty.