AR denier, 20 mm. Obv: +TEBALT COMES, central cross, opposing besants in quadrants 1 and 3, other symbols in quadrants 2 and 4. Rev: CASTRI PRVVINS, central line indicating a field over a comb. Provins is just outside the Burgundian sphere of influence, in Champagne. The field (champ) and comb (peigne) is a visual pun on the name of the region. R4726, Boudeau 1759, not in Bel.

Thibaut  was son of Stephen (of Blois) and Adela. He married Matilda of Carinthia and they had seven children. Two of his sons married daughters of Louis VII (Henry and Thibaut V) while a daughter, Mary, married Hugh III of Burgundy. This established alliances with the major houses on his borders. He was succeeded first by Henry and then by another son, Thibaut V.

When Thibaut II inherited Troyes and Meaux he decided to move there from the family home in Blois. This was in part because the territory was also coveted by Louis VI, and Thibaut felt it was necessary to be on site to protect his interests. The domains were a hodgepodge of lands held in fief of the king, duc of Burgundy and the HRE. His reign was characterized by administrative efficiency and successful use of the rights of coinage. He and his heirs benefited from the famous Champagne fairs that brought prosperity to this part of France. Thibaut offered homage to Eudes II of Burgundy (father of Hugh III) in a way that recognized over lordship but did not owe any real duties like military support. From Burgundy's point of view, this preserved their claim to Troyes. Source: Dunbabin 308, 312-5

Henri I (and II) 1152-80(97) Provins

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Billon denier, 19mm. Obv: + HENRI COMES, central cross with diagonal arrow, symbols in opposing quadrants. Rev:  CASTRI PRVVINS, central comb under symbols. R4727 as Henri I or II, but obverse symbol is closer to R4726. Seller says Boud 1760 but while central obverse symbol matches, obv. text does not.

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Billon denier, 18mm. Obv: HENRI COMES, central cross, 2 pellets, alpha and omega. Rev: CASTRI PRVVINT, symbols (unclear) over comb. R4726v, 4727v (obv. field from 4726, legend from 4727); Boud 1760, PdA 5972.

Provins is an old city. It is mentioned in a capitulary of Charlemagne in 802, when he sent two missi dominici to Provins. Habitation here is older and there are references to St. Quiriace who was supposedly the discovered of the true cross. Today there is a church of St. Quiriace in the upper town. Like many locales in this region, it suffered Norman invasions and damage, but recovered. In the 12th C. it became the property of the house of Blois and its fortunes reached their zenith at this time.

Provins was home to some of the Champagne and Brie fairs. There were six of these each year and two of them were in Provins. The May-June fair, which ran 46 days, and the September-October fair were the keys to Provins' prosperity. One local source says that during this time Provins became the third most important ville in France, after Paris and Rouen, covering almost 80,000 hectares. Given its wealth, it felt necessary to fortify the city. This apparently gave comfort to the burghers who made their living selling cloth and prospering from the fairs. The first two pictures are of the 12th C. gate of St. Jean and the adjoining 12th C ramparts.

Clearly these fortifications are in good repair today and define the boundaries of the town. The church of St. Quiriace owned property in the town and rented some of this out to merchants to store their goods during fair times. The grange aux dimes (or tithe barn) was one of these building (left image). In the 12th C there was also a fortification built in the upper town called the Tour de Cesar. This is pictured to the right.

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Today Provins is an attractive medieval walled town. Many of its buildings are original, including the 12th C Maison Romane on the center square, pictured below.