AR denier, 21mm, 1.25 gr. Obv: HERVEVS HVGO REX, cross cantonee with two besants (pellets). Rev: BELVACVS CIVITAS, central Carolingian KRLS monogram. This coinage became immobilized from the end of the 10th C, during Capet's reign, until the start of the 11th century. Mint: Beauvais (an episcopal mint at the time). Dup 1, Belaubre 273 (which uses Lafaurie, Les monnaies des rois de France, as its source). Contemporary English coin: Ethelred

He was the son of Hugh the Great and Hadwig, sister of Otto I (king of Germanie). He married Adeliade of Aquitaine in 965 and they had two children, a son and daughter. His son, Robert, succeeded him as Robert 11 (The Pious). He was known as Hugh Capet because he wore a cape, an indication he was a lay abbot of a number of valuable properties (Riche 264).

Hugh's father was responsible for the restoration of Louis IV and did not seize the throne himself at that time. After the death of Louis' son and heir, Louis V, in an hunting accident, there was not a direct heir, although an uncle, Duke Charles of Lorraine, was a prime candidate. Instead Hugh Capet was elected king in June 987. He was better connected and had a greater stature than Charles. He had his son also crowned in December 987. Charles of Lorraine contested Hugh's ascension but was defeated and imprisoned in Orlean, where he died in 992.  Hugh's election marked the end of the Carolingian dynasty and the birth of the Capetians, which extended to the Valois in the 14th century. Hugh Capet's direct control of territory was minimal, being concentrated on the Ile d'France.

AR denier, 977 - 1030, 20 mm, 1.23gr. Obv: ROB FRAN REX (and variations), crowned stylized head of the king. Rev: ADALERO LAD, stylized head of the bishop. Mint is Laon. D8, C29. Contemporary English coins: Ethelred and Cnut.

He was son of Hugh Capet and known as 'the Pious' and 'the August.' He was born in Orleans in 970. He married a cousin, Bertha, a marriage which was subsequently annulled due to consanguinity. There was no issue from this union. He subsequently married Constance of Arles, daughter of William of Arles and Blanche d'Anjou. They had four sons and a daughter. He was succeeded by his son Henri I.

He reconquered the duchy of Burgundy and sought to stabilize the kingdom, limited in size as it was. He is buried at St. Denis.

AR denier, 20mm, 1.34gr. Obv: +D-I DEXTRA BE, portal with letters HYGO around it. Rev: +AVRELIANIS CIVITAS, central cross. Mint is Orleans. C 31aV (BE, not BNE in the reverse). R4895 as an anonymous issue; not in Dup, PdA. Ciani places as a royal coin in Robert's name.

AR denier, 19mm, 1.2gr. Obv: AIANRGO, center REX. The symbol is actually 'A' without the cross bar. Rev: POHCIO COHES, central latine cross, one besant in upper left quadrant. Mint is Toulouse. Dup 29v (which cites two besants); Ciani 47; Boud 707; PdA 366v. PdA discusses the obscure meaning of the obverse inscription, favoring (I think) a genealogical link between the issuer and Henri I. Seller (Singer) categories this as 'RRR,' a fairly rare coin.

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AR denier, 21mm, 1.25gr. Obv: +HAINRICVS REX, central cross with A&W or W&A suspended. Rev: +PAISIVS CIVITAS, central cross. Mint is Paris. Dup 16 or 18; C 33; Bel 206.

AR denier, 22mm, 1.21gr. Obv: +PHILIPVS X REX D-I, central gate. Rev: AVRELIANIS CIVITAS, central cross with 's' in two quadrants. Mint is Orleans. D56/57, not in C. Contemporary English coins: Edward the Confessor and William the Conqueror.

Philip, son of Henri I and Anne of Kiev (daughter of the grand duke of Russia and descendent of Byzantine emperors), came to the throne as a child (eight years old). He married Berthe of Holland, daughter of the Count of Frise and of Holland, as a political marriage to counter the power of William of England, also Duke of Normandy. His son, Louis, succeeded him.

William of Normandy successfully conquered England and set up the tension between his duty as a feudal vassal of Philip and king in his own right. This essentially initiated a conflict that would not be fully resolved for almost four centuries. Philip withstood the threat William's power offered, and sewed dissension among William's heirs, relieving pressure on France. Royal domains were small at this time and Philip sought to expand them, without conflict, and within the prevailing tenets of feudalism. He also worked on administrative reform of his lands, centralizing power and control.

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AR denier, 18mm, .87gr. Obv: +PIIIPVS RX, central design. Rev: +MATISCON, central grand ‘S’ between 2 besants. Mint is Macon. Dup 81; C 87v.

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AR denier, 19mm, .89gr. Obv: +PHILIPPVS REX, central cross with 'u' in quadrants 2 and 4. Rev: +SILNECTIS, central degenerate monogram. Mint is Senlis. D 70; C 80.

Louis V1 (1108-1137)

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AR denier, 6th type, 19mm, .85gr. Obv: LODOVICVX REX, grand E, annulet, cross. Rev: STAIII CVTELLVTII, central cross, A in opposite quadrants. Mint is Etampes. D106.

He is the son of Philip I and Bertha of Holland, and called Louis the Fat. As 'king of France,' his territory was actually limited to the Ile de France, a series of territories running down the center of modern France, from Sens in the north to Bourges in the south. His major accomplishment was a series of administrative reforms that shifted power in his territory away from feudal holders of administrative functions to people (clergy and lower nobles) who were more committed to the king than had previously been the case.

Modern France did not exist, and would not for centuries. It was a series of feudal principalities often in conflict with each other, and having weak allegiance to the king. The Duke of Normandy became king of England in 1066, leaving many of the English Normans with French land holdings, laying the foundation for a split allegiance. This would not be finally resolved until the mid 1500th C, and would color French-English relations in the intervening centuries.

Denier, 20mm, 1.03gr. Obv: +LVDOVICS REX I, cross with ‘o' in one quadrant and ‘y' in the opposite. Rev: +AVRELIANIS CIVITAS, with an ‘o' under the stylized city gate (mint is Orleans). D120, C111. Contemporary English coins: Henry I and Stephen I.

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AR denier, 19mm, .98gr. Obv: +LVDOV-CVS REX, central church. Rev: DRVCAS CASTA (with the ‘S’ retrograde), central cross with symbol in two quadrants. Mint is Dreux. D 96; C 106A.

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AR denier, 20mm, .98gr. Obv: +LVDOVICVS REX, central A and suspended W. Rev” +PONTISI CNR RSI, cross with annulet in 3rd quadrant. Denier 6th type. Mint is Pointoise. D 131; C 102.

Louis V11 (1137-80)

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AR denier, 19mm, 1.0gr. Obv: +LVDOVICVS REX, crowned head facing. Rev: +VRBS BI | TVRICA, cross latine flueronne, Bourges mint. D 134; C 119.

Louis V11 was the son of Louis VI and Adelaide of Savoie. He was a calm, reflective and timid person He married first Eleanor of Aquitaine, his temperamental opposite, and they had two daughters. They were divorced on the grounds of consanguinity. She then married Henri Plantagenet while he married next Constance of Castile and then Adele of Champagne, by who he had a son and heir, Philip II.

By his divorce from Eleanor, he lost Aquitaine, which became an English possession through her marriage to Henry. He participated in a crusade and led France in war against England and her continental territories, events common for the age. In spite of this he was a generally effective and assertive ruler and began the process of consolidating royal territories, as task continued by his son.

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AR denier, 20mm, 1.51gr. Obv: +LVDOVICVS REX, central design. Dup says 'pal accoste de deux crosses.' A 'pal' is, I think, a stake. It is bracketed by two croziers. Rev: +LAND+NIS CASTA, central cross with S in the first and 3rd quadrants. Mint is Chateau Landon. Dup 136, C 122.

Bl denier, 20mm, .93gr. Obv: +LVDOVICVS REX, central cross with annelets in two opposing quadrants. Rev: + CASTRVM NATA, central two annelets and two crosses. Mint is Mantes. R2314; Dup 139; C 126; Lafaurie 150.

Denier, 19.5mm, 1.15gr. Obv: LVDOVICUS REX, interior FRA/OCN. Rev: PARISII CIVIS, central cross. Mint is Paris. D146, C182 as Louis IX. Contemporary English coin: Henry II.

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BL Denier, 21mm, .89gr, 3rd type. Obv: +LVDOVICUS REX, interior FRA/OCN. Rev: +PARISII CIVIS, central cross. Mint is Paris. R-; D146, C182 as Louis IX; Lafaurie 139.

Denier, 19mm, 1.1gr. Obv: PHILIPVS REX with FRA OC(reversed)N in the center. Rev: +PARISII CIVIS, with a cross in the center. Mint is Paris.  D164, C160. Contemporary English coins: Henry II, Richard 1,  John,  Henry III.

Born in 1165, he was son of Louis VII and his third wife, Alix of Champagne. The 'Auguste' in his name is because he was born in August. Philip was a a successful warrior and consolidator of territories in France, and successful administrative reformer of the monarchy. During his reign, the English crown lost most of its holdings in France. Philip led the defeat of  Otto and other English allies at Bouvines in 1214. From Horne (29): "Historians have generally agreed that Bouvines was a turning point for both countries (France and England), fundamentally setting the destinies of each. Says Ernest Lavisse, "The two nations set off in different directions. England headed towards liberty, France towards absolutism."" By the end of his reign he had extended territory controlled by the crown three to fourfold.

After the Norman invasion of England (1066), the new English nobility maintained territory in France, setting up a conflict of dual allegiance. A series of shifting allegiances, involving Flanders, Champagne and the Angevin Empire (English holdings) kept the country in turmoil. In Paris Philip continued the work on Notre Dame, begun in 1163, paved streets and built churches and hospitals. He built a wall around the city, encompassing 250 acres, started construction on the Louvre, started the market at Les Halles and recognized rights of the University of Paris. On the down side, he supported Simon de Monfort in a ruthless suppression of the Albigensians in the south. Horne's eulogy (41): "With his death Paris in particular mourned a great ruler. The virtual founder of France, who established a powerful country, Phillippe Auguste left a capital for the first time secure enough within the mighty walls he had built around it to develop, thrive and expand. Paris had become the administrative center of France, as well as Europe's capital of learning."

BL denier, 20mm, 1.05gr, 2nd type. Obv: +PHILIPVS REX, central FRA/OCN (C reversed). Rev: +ARRAS CIVIS, central cross, lis in two opposing quadrants. Mint is Arras. R2562; Dup 168; C 156v: Lafaurie 184.

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AR denier, 17mm, .99gr. Obv: +PHILIPVS RE, central crowned head. Rev: +ROGERVS EPE, central head with mitre. Mint is Laon. Roger de Rosay (1174-1201) was bishop of Laon. Dup 184; C 150.

Bl denier, 18mm, .85gr. Obv: +REX FILIPVS, central cross. Rev: +DE DOLIS, central star of David with annulet at center. Mint is Deols. R2327; Dup 176; C 147; L 169 (who says minted after 1200).

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Billon denier, 19mm, .79gr. Obv: +PHILLIPVS REX, central cross. Rev: SCS MARTINVS, central chatel tournois. Mint is St. Martin de Tours. Dy 176; C 165.

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Billon denier, 19mm, .99gr. Obv: PHILIPVS REX, central FRA/OCN. Rev: +PERONNE, central cross. Mint is Peronne. Dy 172; C 162.

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AR denier parisis, First, 20mm, 1.1gr. Second, 18mm, 1.09gr. Obv: +PHILIPVS REX, central FRA/OCN. Rev: MOVTVRVEL, central cross, two besants. Mint is Montreuil sur Mer. Dup 170; C 158 (as RE, not REX)

Denier tournois, 18mm, .9gr. Obv: +LVDOVICVS REX, center cross. Rev: +TVRONIS CIVI, chatel tournois. Mint is Tours. D188, C170.

He was son of Philip II and Isabelle of Hainault. He was born in 1187. He married Blanche of Castille, niece of John Lackland, as part of an effort of Anglo-French rapproachment. It didn't work.

The period was characterized by intrigues between England and France, as the English sought to reestablish influence in France. Louis fought at Poitou, was courted by Jean sans Terre (John Lackland), and visited London, where he was well received. In France, he continued the fight against the Albigensian heretics. He died in 1226 of dysentery. During his brief reign he essentially continued the nation building policies of his father.

AR gros tournois, 25mm, 4.03gr. Obv: +LUDOVICVS REX, inner circle. SIT NOMEN etc. outer circle, central cross. Rev: +TVRONVS CIVIS, central chattel tournois. Mint is Tours. Dy 190; C 181. Contemporary English coin: Henry III

The only canonized king of France (a payoff for support of the papacy) was generally pious, but also continued the militarist tendencies of his predecessors. He came to the throne as a minor, and his mother, Blanche of Castile, was the regent. He married Margaret of Provence, who accompanied him on his first crusade (1248). He was captured, ransomed, and finally returned to France in 1254, where he turned his attention to governing. His lasting legacy in Paris is St. Chapelle, with its stunning stained glass.  Horne (43), citing Maurice Droun, characterizes him as "one of the great neurotics in history. Had he not inclined to saintliness he might have been a monster. Neros are made of the same fiber."

Christendom was involved not only with inner conflicts between kings and vassals, and kings versus kings, but also against the Islamic domination of the holy lands. On the dark side, he "installed the Inquisition in France, with all the misery that was to bring, and turned his back on the liberalism of the 12th century." (Horne 43) On the brighter side, he continued the nation building efforts begun by his predecessors. Taxes were modest and France was generally prosperous by the end of his reign.  Louis led the seventh crusade and against the advice of his counselors mounted another crusade in 1270 against Tunis. Louis died on this crusade.

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Denier tournois, 18mm, 1.0gr. Obv: +LVDOVICVS REX, with a cross in the center. Obv: +TVRONVS CIVIS, with the tournois in the center. Mint is Tours. D193, C184.

Louis is buried in St. Denis. This effigy on his tomb is actually horizontal in situ, but pictured vertically so it is easier to see his features.

Philip 111 (1270-85)

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AR gros tournois 25mm, 4.02gr. Obv: +PHILIPVS.REX, outer legend: SIT NOMEN etc., central cross. Rev: +TVRONV.S CIVIS, chattel tournois. Mint is Tours. Dup 202A; C 188v.

AR denier tournois (1270-80), 18mm, 1.09gr. Obv: +PHILIPVS REX (1 'P'), central cross. Rev: TVRONVS CIVIS, chatel tournois. Mint is Tours. D204. Contemporary English coins: Henry III and Edward 1.

He was the son of Louis IX and Marguerite de Provence. He married first Isabelle d'Aragon and then Marie de Brabant (at age 14) when he was 30. He was succeeded by Philip IV, his son by Isabelle.

At this time English holdings in France still owed feudal allegiance to the French king, which made for unusual political stress. In August 1273 Philip receive homage from Edward I of England. Besides England, France was involved in the affairs of Aragon, succession in Toulouse and in Navarre, all in the south. In 1282 the 'episode sinistre des "Vespres Siciliennes"' triggered  a royal French reaction to interests in Italy. Charles of Anjou was a central figure in this event.

AR gros tournois, 24.5mm, 3.29gr. Obv: +PHILIPPVS REX in the inner circle. BENEDICTV:SIT:NOMEN:DNI:NRI:DEI:REXPI, outer circle, cross in the center. Rev: TRONVS CIVIS, tournois in the center. Mint is Tours. C200 (differentiated by the strong X in rex), D217. Contemporary English coins :Edward 1 and Edward II. His impact of French money was not positive. From Horne (48): ".. he introduced rampant inflation by adulterating the currency, reducing its weight in gold at the mint - the first French king to do so. Shamelessly he admitted, "We have been forced to have these pieces coined which perhaps lacked some of the weight and alloy of those struck by our predecessors."

The grandson of Louis IX was a strong ruler who extended influence over the Church in France, as well as over the administration of his kingdom. The year before he became king he married Jeanne, heiress to Champagne and Navarre. (The Navarre notation enters the coinage by the reign of Henri IV). He challenged Pope Bonifice VIII and suppressed the wealthy and powerful Knights Templar with the support of 'his' captive pope, Clement V. As he was being burned, Jacques de Molay, KT,  cursed both Clement and Philip. Clement died within a month and Philip within the year. Horne's characterization: he "prove(d) one of France's most unpleasant and disastrous kings, leaving in his wake catastrophe for the country and misery in Paris. Under him a new depth of savagery manifested itself in the life of Paris, a dark retreat from the enlightenment of Sugur and Philippe Auguste."

Besides religious conflict over the prerogatives of the church, through the pope, Philip engaged in war against Edward I of England, who was also duke of Aquitaine. This conflict settled nothing, and led to the marriage of Philip's sister Marguerite to Edward and his daughter Isabella to Edward II. The offspring of these unions and lack of a clear Capetian successor some years hence lay the foundation for the 100 Years War.

AR maille tierce a l'O rond, 20mm, 1.33gr. Obv: Inner circle: +PHILIPPVS REX, outer circle: +BNDICTV:SIT:NOMEN:DNI NI, central cross. Rev: +TRONVS CIVIS, chatel tournois and border of 10 lis. Mint is Tours. Dup 219c, C 213 (obolus tertius). Issued Sept. 1306.

Louis X (1314-1316)

Philip V (1316-22)

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AR gros tournois, 26mm, 3.97 gr. Obv: PHILIPPVS REX, central cross. Exterior obv. legend: BNDICTV:SIT:NOMEN:DHI:NRI:DEI:---XPI. Rev: + TRONVS CIVIS, central chatel. The key distinguishing ‘secret' mark is the crescent on the reverse before CIVIS. Mint is Tours. Dup238. Contemporary English coin: Edward II.

Philip V was the middle son of Philip IV and he succeeded his older brother on his death. He was first, and briefly Regent for his brother's young son, who was born after Louis X's death. The baby died before a serious succession issue arose. France was not ready for a female heiress and an assembly of the three estates ruled "femme ne succede pas a la Couronne de France." Philip was called 'le long' because of a good resemblance to his father and his strength of character. He has the reputation as a good ruler, governing "avec sagesse et intelligence." In turn, Philip was succeeded by his younger brother, who ruled as Charles IV. Philip was the penultimate Capetian ruler.

1/2 Blanche, 21mm, 1.44gr. Obv:  +KAROLVS REX, interior,  +BENEDICTV:SIT:NOME:DNI:NRI:DEI exterior, central cross. Rev: +FRANCORVM, central castle. Small cross to the left of the larger cross. Mint uncertain. C258, D243A.

Charles was the third son of Philip IV and Jeanne of Navarre. His first wife was Blanche of Bourgogne. Next he married Marie of Luxembourg and finally Jeanne d'Evreux. He died without a son, and the line transferred to a cousin, Philip of Valois, who became Philip VI.

When Charles died at 34 years of age, his death opened the door for an English claimant to the throne, Edward III. This set the next stage for conflict between England and France, now not just over territory but over the throne of France itself.

Double tournois, 3rd emission 1326, 20.5mm, 1.15gr. Obv: +KAROLVS REX, large central crown with annulet under the crown. Rev: +MONETA DVPLEX, ornate central cross. Mint uncertain. D244c, C261. Contemporary English coins: Edward II and Edward III.