Code: 13032
This is a medieval billion silver Niquet of King Henry V. It was minted in St. Lo and circulated in France during the Hundred Years' War.
Obverse: + h: REX: ANGL': hERES: FRANC (Henry, King of the English, heir to the Franks) Crowned leopard passing to the left, beneath a lily
Reverse: + SIT: nOmE: DnI: BENEDICTV (Blessed be the name of the Lord)
On 12 August 1415, Henry V of England set sail from Southampton with part of the English fleet for France. He laid siege to Harfleur and won the Battle of Azincourt (24 October 1415) before returning to England. On his return to France, he captured Caen in 1417, Rouen on 19 January 1419 and Saint-Lô on 12 March 1419; the whole of Normandy fell to the English. The Treaty of Troyes, signed on 21 May 1420, granted Henry V the hand of Catherine of France, daughter of Isabeau of Bavaria, as well as the possibility of acceding to the throne of France, to the detriment of the dauphin, after the death of Charles VI. The future Henry VI was born of his union with Catherine of France. Shortly after the birth of his son, Henry V died at the Château de Vincennes on 31 August 1422.
DENOMINATION: Niquet
CULTURE: Medieval France
MONARCH: King Henry V
DATE: 1413 - 1422 A.D. (This coin was minted in 1421 AD)
MATERIAL: Silver billion (base)
SIZE: 22mm diameter
WEIGHT: 1.91 grams
ATTRIBUTION: Dy royales# 441, W&F 373
PROVENANCE: Formerly in a private collection in Sudbury, Great Britain
