Commemorative Coin

Object/Artifact

-

Vermont Historical Society

Name/Title

Commemorative Coin

Entry/Object ID

2017.3.8a

Description

Silver-colored metal coin with a bust of a four-year-old King Louis XIV on one side and his mother, Anne of Austria, the head of the regency council on the other. Louis is shown draped in Roman-style clothing with long, curly hair and a laurel crown. The words "G. FR. ET. NAV. REX. LVDOVICVS. XIII. D." ring the edge. Anne is showing wearing Elizabethan clothing, including a tight bodice, wide fall collar, and three-pointed hood with a cap beneath and veil above. The words "ANNA. D. G. FRET. NAV. REG." ring the edge.

Context

French coin minted in 1643 upon the death of Louis XIII and ascension of Louis XIV to be traded with indigenous Americans.

Acquisition

Accession

2017.3

Source or Donor

Wiseman, Frederick M.

Acquisition Method

Gift

Credit Line

Gift of Frederick M. Wiseman

Made/Created

Date made

1643

Place

City

Paris

Country

France

Continent

Europe

Ethnography

Cultural Region

State/Province

Vermont

Country

United States of America

Continent

North America

Culture/Tribe

Innu
Native American, First Nation

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Secondary Object Term

Medal, Commemorative

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Commemorative

Nomenclature Sub-Class

Memorabilia

Nomenclature Class

Documentary Objects

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Overall

Depth

1/4 in

Diameter

2-1/4 in

Material

Metal

Web Links and URLs

Beaded Pouch

Interpretative Labels

Label

Medallion, 1643 France White metal Gift of Frederick M. Wiseman, #2017.3.8.1 Designed and struck in 1643, this medal commemorated the ascension of Louis XIV to the throne of France. Since he was only four at the time, his mother, Anne of Austria, served as chair of the ruling regency council. Made of light metal, most likely including lead, this medallion was used as a trade good with the indigenous people of North America. A loop braised onto the top of the medallion allowed it to be worn on a cord. When that loop wore out, an intricate beaded pouch was made by the Innu (Montagnais) owner. French in Vermont In 1609 Samuel de Champlain became the first European to set foot in the land that would eventually become Vermont. Paddling south on the lake that now bears his name, he encountered native peoples on both shores, mapped the landscape, and claimed the region for France. Within 50 years, French colonial ambitions from the north clashed with a rapidly growing English population to the south. European powers took advantage of long-standing inter-tribal animosities and used Native Americans as proxy raiding parties to devastating effect. In July of 1666 the French established a fort and settlement at Fort St. Anne in Isle La Motte, the first European settlement in Vermont. Over the next century, the French fortified Lake Champlain as far south as Crown Point, building Fort St. Frederick and Carillon (now Ticonderoga). King Louis XV established land grants, known as seigneuries, along the shores of Lake Champlain. French habitants, or settlers, slowly moved into the region. Ultimately, the English victory over the French and the resulting Treaty of Paris in 1763 put eastern North America solidly in English hands. French inhabitants remained in both Canada and Vermont, giving rise to the rich Quebecois culture.