Henry VI's Calais Coinage
Did you know that this English silver coin…
…was minted in France?
…depicts someone who was king of England twice?
…dates to the Hundred Years’ War (that actually lasted 116 years)?
…features someone who Shakespeare penned 3 plays about?
This coin is a groat (fourpence) of Henry VI, dating to c.1425. For the average labourer of the period, this would’ve been a little over a day’s wages - something you’d be upset at losing!
Henry VI became king of England in September 1422 at just nine months old, and then king of France the following month. He was born during the Hundred Years’ War in which his father (Henry V) had made significant gains in France, perhaps the most famous battle of which was Agincourt. While Henry VI’s reign started out reaping the rewards of his father’s warfare skills, this didn’t last for long…
Image credit bnf.fr
Over the next couple of decades, Henry VI lost almost all of the land in France through his ineffective leadership. Civil war erupted in England in 1455 (kicking off the War of the Roses) and just a few years later, in 1461, Henry VI was toppled from the throne and locked in the Tower of London, leading to a new king: Edward IV. In 1470 Henry was restored to the throne (king of England twice, but not the only one to hold that title - spoiler alert: it’s Edward IV!).
Image credit: National Portrait Gallery, public domain.
Coins of this period often had symbols that were used to hold the moneyers who made the coins accountable for the quality & weight of the silver. They can appear at various locations on the coin, with this groat being an ‘Annulet Issue’. You can see annulets (small rings) either side of the king’s neck, as well as in two of the quarters of the reverse.
The obverse (portrait side) reads in Latin: “+HENRIC DI GRA REX ANGL Z FRANC”, meaning “Henry by the grace of God, king of England and France”. The reverse (cross side) has legends in two ‘circles’, reading “+POSVI DEVM ADIVTORE MEVM”, meaning “I have made God my helper” and “VILLA CALISIE” meaning “town of Calais”. Calais remained under English control until 1558.
This is a considerable coin - made of solid silver weighing 3.8g and nearly 3cm in diameter.