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Small Blanc with crown of Brittany - Charles VIII
| Issuer | France |
|---|---|
| Year | 1483-1498 |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Within a trefoil border, the crowned royal arms of France — a shield semé of fleurs-de-lis — is displayed centrally, surmounted by a flattened crown and flanked on each side by a single fleur-de-lis in the field. The composition reflects the heraldic conventions of late-fifteenth-century French coinage, rendered in the bold, somewhat crude style typical of hammered billon issues. The peripheral legend is separated from the central device by a beaded inner circle. |
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| Obverse lettering | : KAROLVS: FRAnCORVm: REX: (Translation: Charles, king of the Franks.) |
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| Additional information |
Charles VIII inherited the Duchy of Brittany question as a diplomatic crisis and resolved it by marrying Anne of Brittany in 1491 — a union that would eventually absorb the duchy into the French crown. This billon issue, struck specifically for Breton circulation, predates that marriage and reflects a period when the administrative distinction between France and Brittany still carried genuine monetary weight. The crown of Brittany on this type was not decorative politics; it was a jurisdictional marker, distinguishing Breton-authority coinage from the broader royal issues circulating simultaneously.
The Ciani gap is worth noting — pieces attributed cleanly to this type remain poorly documented in older literature.