I have to confess that I mostly collect British and Roman imperial coins for the history. Yesterday I was looking at the legends that appear on British coins was shocked to see this one on a 1787 shilling and sixpence. Obverse Legend: GEORGIVS·III·DEI·GRATIA· “George the Third by the Grace of God (Georgius III Dei Gratia) So far, so good, but get this one: Reverse Legend: M·B·F·E·T·H·REX·F·D·B·ET·L·D·S·R·I·A·T·ET·E Unabridged Legend Magnae Britanniae Franciae et Hiberniae Rex Fidei Defensor Brunsvicensis et Luneburgensis Dux Sacri Romani Imperii Archi Thesaurarius et Elector “King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, Duke of Brunswick and Lueneburg, Arch Treasurer and Elector of the Holy Roman Empire Somehow I think that one went over the heads of 99% of the British citizens who handled this coin.
Well the King of England was the King of France for a while ... back in the early 1400s to the 1430s. Henry V laid claim to the crown, but his son, Henry VI, lost it. Henry V was a great warrior king. Here is a half groat, 2 pence. He died unexpectedly of dysentery, leaving his nine month old son, king. Henry VI was shall we say, not a mental giant. He lost his French crown with the help of Joan of Arc. This is a Henry VI groat.
One thing for sure, George Washington would not have been bragging about that many positions on his coins. In fact, he didn't want his portrait on any coins while he was alive.
I think they dropped the claim to France around 1800-1802. Partly because of the Act of Union with Ireland, partly to try to make peace with the French Republic. You can see the Fleur-de-lys on a lot of English/UK coins indicating a claim to France. 1745 6 pence--there 1817 Half crown-gone
England lost the last of its French territories in 1558 when Calais was retaken by the French. The "King of France" was kept in the monarch's style until the French revolution, nevertheless, perhaps eventually as more of a taunt than a legitimate claim.
I think Henry V died before the treaty of Troyes (1420) came into effect so technically never crowned as such.
