Louis XI, 1461

Duplessy 539; Friedberg 312, PCGS graded MS-62

As the successor of Charles VII on the throne of France, Louis XI gained a reputation for diplomacy and especially political intrigue to thwart his enemies. For this reason he was described by some contemporaries as l’universelle aragne (“the universal spider” who was constantly ensnaring his foes in a strangling web of conspiracy and plotting. One of his greatest successes was the signing of the Treaty of Picquigny (1475), which simultaneously ended the Hundred Years’ War to the benefit of France and isolated Charles the Bold, the rebellious last Duke of Burgundy. With these external threats neutralized, Louis XI successfully crushed his own rebellious vassals and began to expand French influence into Italy, setting the stage for the Italian Wars that would rage on and off from 1494 to 1559.

Paris. 1st emission, 31 December 1461. (crown) LVDOVICVS DEI GRA FRA?COR REX, crowned arms of France, a crowned lis to either side. Reverse: (crown) XPC VI?CIT XPC REG?AT XPC ImPERAT, cross feuillue with crowns in angles; all within a quadrilobe.

Ex Heritage (1 June 2006), 12777