France Au Col Plat - Henry III of France - Dated 1578
$1,775
Denomination: France au col plat
Mint: Bayonne, France
Date: 1578
Weight: 13.9 gm
Mount: Sterling Silver with 14K prongs and bale.
Grade: Choice
Description: Obverse: Bust of Henry III to the right, laurate and cuirassed with flat collar. Below 1578. Legend reads – (HENRICVS. III D G FRANCOR. E. POL. RX. – L). Translation: "Henri III, by the grace of God, King of the Franks and the Poles". Reverse: Leafy and fleur-de-lis cross, an H in the heart. Legend reads; (+ SIT NOMEN DOMINI BENEDICTVM (MM) (ANCRE). Translation: Blessed be the name of the Lord. MM Anchor.
History: Born in Fontainebleau in 1551, Henri III was the fourth son of Henri II and Catherine de Médicis. First Duke of Anjou, he distinguished himself by his military successes against the Huguenots and was chosen in 1573 as king by the Poles to replace the last of the Jagiellons. In June 1574, while Catherine de Medici was in charge of the regency, Henri III fled from Poland. He passed through Venice to return to France. On May 12, 1588, the latter being in Paris, the city rose up against the king, who had to flee. In July, Henri III signed an edict of union (of the Catholics): heresy was prohibited; Navarre excludes from succession. Soon, Paris was besieged by the two sovereigns. It was then that a Jacobin monk, Jacques Clément, assassinated Henri III: it was the first regicide in the history of France. With Henri III ended the dynasty of Valois which governed France since 1328. The crown passed to his distant cousin Henry of Navarre.
