Posted 7 years ago
beyemvey
(214 items)
This hammered silver denier of Louis VI was struck c. 1108-1137 CE. The obverse features the inscription "+LUDOVICUS I REX" surrounding a central image of the city gate of Orleans with an "O" above it. The reverse inscription is "+CIVITAS AURELIANIS" surrounding a central cross with an O in one quadrant and a lambda in the opposite quadrant, signifying mint of Orleans.
Louis VI was one of my 26th great-grandfathers, so this falls into my category of collecting blending numismatics with genealogy. He married Adelaide of Savoy, and they were the parents of Louis VII. Louis VI (le Gros) was one of the first Capetian kings to reassert French Royal authority after the dissolution of the Carolingian empire. Much of his reign was spent in fighting the robber barons and trying to curb the power of the Normans. Some irony would pervade the end of Louis VI... Henry I of England married his daughter the Empress Matilda to Geoffrey Plantagenet. This was a very dangerous alliance to Louis. Meanwhile, William X of Aquitaine appointed Louis the guardian of his daughter Eleanor. He married Eleanor to his son, Louis VII. When Louis VII and Eleanor would later have their marriage annulled because of incompatibility, but on the grounds of consanguinity; she would famously go on to marry Henry II of England (though they were even more closely related than Eleanor & Louis VII). This would prove disastrous to the French monarchy for some time to come until John of England eventually lost most of the Angevin Empire in France.
Some more history to be found here... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_VI_of_France
Love threads with this sort of history lesson attached, thanks so much for sharing.
You're welcome Katherine! I love history and studied ancient history in college, even though I work in IT today :-)
Thanks!!! to Nicefice & fortapache :-)
:-) rniederman :-)
Wonderful coin and I love the history as well!
:-) SEAN68 :-) jscott0363 :-)EZa :-) blunderbuss2 :-) bijoucaillouvintage :-) Caperkid :-) JImam :-) vetraio50 :-)
Wow! Great "piece" of history, or may I say your(his)story ;-)
Thanks kyratango... a little of both I suspect :-) As a student of genealogy, I believe ultimately we are all cousins :-)
Indeed, we are! All coming from the missing link :-)))
More recently than the missing link... Mitochondrial Eve.
Woahhh! I wasn't aware of mitochondrial Eve... Just had a look, and I'm fascinated by this discovery!
Still wondering about the old question, who appeared first, the hen or the egg?
My thoughts on that? The egg came before the chicken. That egg was laid by "proto-chicken" and contained a genetic mutation that would be the first actual chicken when it hatched :-)
Aaah! Thanks for your answer to this essential question! It makes sense!
Problem, now I seriously want to eat a fried proto-chicken leg! ;-P
Tastes like chicken! (LMAO)
Well depends on who you read ...smiling'....
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/no-mitochondrial-eve-not-first-female-species-180959593/
Roycroft... excellent article. Mitochondrial Eve is a concept often misunderstood. That's why hhile chatting I told kyratango more recently than the missing link we are all cousins... somewhere between the missing link and the current generation. Cheers! - Bob