Robert I, 922-923

Crinon p. 73; Poey d’Avant 1670 = Fécamp pl. XIV = Crinon, “À propos de deniers inédits de Blois (Xe siècle): le monnayage à la tête dans les domaines de Thibaud de Tours et Thibaud Ier (durant les deux premiers tiers du Xe s.),” BSFN 48.1 (January 1993), p. 469, PCGS graded AU-53

During the reign of Charles III struck deniers, like the preceding piece, featuring a prominent monogram of the king’s name. This monogram type looks back to types used by the great Charlemagne and symbolically link Charles III to his famous namesake while brushing aside the inherent weakness of the latter’s reign. The present denier type, associated with the late reign of Charles III, was probably struck in 922-923 when there was great uncertainty over who the real King of West Francia was. The portrait obverse takes its cue from earlier deniers of Charlemagne and Louis the Pious rather than more contemporary issues of Charles III and immediately preceding coins of West Francian kings. Likewise the legends name no kings but only the place of issue: Tours-Chinon. It is most likely that this noncommittal denier type was struck during the brief and chaotic uprising of Robert I against Charles III. In 921, Robert I, the Frankish Count of Poitiers and Paris along with other Frankish nobles, raised the banner of revolt against Charles III. The latter was forced to flee to Lotharingia and Robert I had himself crowned King of West Francia in the following year. When Charles III returned with an army in 923, Robert I marched out to meet him at Soissons. Unfortunately, while his army was victorious in the battle that ensued, Charles III managed to kill Robert I in the fighting before fleeing the battlefield.

Chinon, TVRON, diademed and mantled bust of Robert I right. Reverse: + CAINONI CASTRO, short cross.

Ex Künker (11 March 2013), 2271