I collect British coins more for their history that anything else. I wrote this article, but when I finished it, I knew it was not suitable for a coin hobby magazine. I hope that you will enjoy it with the coins of each of kings that are covered. Here is part 1. The victory of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 brought about a change in the way England recorded the names of its kings and queens. Prior to 1066, kings had often been given nicknames based upon an aspect of their lives. The pious nature of Edward was noted by his historical name, Edward the Confessor. The murder of another Edward made him Edward the Martyr. The failures of Æthelred II made him Æthelred the Unready. Edward the Confessor, King enthroned, orb type Edward the Martyr was stabbed in the back while he was receiving a cup of mead. Æthelred the Unready raised an army when he needed a navy. He built a navy when he needed an army. Overall he tried to bribe the Vikings not to invade England. That scheme failed, but his coins are fairly common as a result. Although William the Conqueror received a nickname, he was also known as William I. His son, William II, was called “Rufus the Red.” After that kings and queens came to be known by their first name with a Roman numeral after it. Over time, these numbers have become quite large. For example Edward VIII who gave up his throne “to marry the woman he loved” was the eighth post William the Conqueror king to have the name “Edward.” George VI and William IV were the sixth and four kings to bear those names respectively. No one is sure why two stars were placed beside the portrait of William the Conqueror on this penny. They may have represented Halley's Comet which made a pass in 1066. Some thought that it was a good omen for William and a bad on for Harold II who died at the Battle of Hastings. William the Conqueror appointed his favorite son, also named William, to succeed him as the King of England. William II, also known as "Rufus the Red," died from a "hunting accident" that was staged by his brother, Henry. Oddly some very common names have seldom been used. For example, “John” is a very common male name, yet there has been only one British king who has had it. Why would that be? My theory is that the names of kings who had questionable or very poor reigns, have been used sparingly or not at all. Perhaps the fathers and mothers of future rulers did not want their children to begin their reigns with negative connotations because of their names. King John, Ruled 1199 to 1216 In an age when some question the propriety of dishing rulers of the past, King John still gets notoriously bad marks. John began his royal life under trying circumstances. When his father, Henry II handed out kingdoms to his sons, John received nothing. He was known as “John Lackland,” and this certainly must have been a blow to his ego. John was given a post in Ireland, but he was a lord, not a king. Coins were issued with his portrait and name, but he still had secondary royal status. John’s nasty reputation began when he tried to usurp his brother, King Richard the Lionheart’s, crown while the king was held for ransom in Austria. John dragged his feet when the English were raising Richard’s ransom, but the ransom was paid, and the king was released. After Richard died in 1199, John became king. His reign was marked by high taxes, battlefield losses, poor management and betrayals of those who had once supported him. At one time, John held half of the coinage in England, but he continued to lose ground in his battles on the mainland of Europe. He personally murdered his nephew, Arthur, who was the closest relative who might have replaced him as king. He had people imprisoned, tortured and starved to death for minor infractions. Ultimately the English noblemen rebelled and forced John to sign the Magna Carta, which would ultimately became the basis for civil rights in all of England. John was able to skirt the Magna Carta during his reign, but it would become an important political document in the civil rights struggles in England and eventually, America. At the time of John’s death from dysentery in 1216, the King of France had invaded the English mainland. After John’s death, the British were able to save their country, but it was no thanks to John, who as gone down as England’s worst king. Coins of Richard the Lionheart and John Oddly enough, neither Richard the Lionheart not John issued English coins in their own names. The pennies continued to be issued in the name of their father, Henry II. An English penny attributed to Richard the Lionheart An English penny attributed to John Irish coins were issued in John's name. A John "moon face" half penny, 1190 - 1198. "Rex Coinage" King John Irish coinage, circa 1207 to 1211. These pieces were used to pay John's mercenary soldiers. More to follow!
Stephen, Ruled 1135 to 1154 “Stephen” is not the most common of male names, but during their nearly 1,000 year history of the modern British state, there has been only one king who had that name. Stephen was the son of one of William the Conqueror’s daughters. Since there was a surviving child of the previous king, Stephen had no right to the crown, but he usurped it. When Henry I died in 1135, his only surviving child was a daughter, Matilda. The Empress Matilda had been the wife of the Holly Roman Emperor and had had some experience in ruling a kingdom. She had the birthright to be the ruling monarch, but the nobles at that time were not about to be ruled by a woman. The wife of a king was a queen, but her political powers were limited. When the king was out of the country, the queen could represent him at events. She could even rule the country for a short time, but she could not rule on her own. The conflict between Stephen and Matilda resulted in the first English civil war, which was called “The Anarchy.” Ultimately the parties agreed that Stephen could rule for the rest of his life, but when he died, Matilda’s son, Henry would become king. The assentation King Henry II marked the end of the House of Norman and the rise of the Plantagenet Dynesty. The Plantagenets would rule from 1154 until 1399. All of the British coins that were made during this period were very low quality. These three pieces are a reflection of that. This is an above average Stephen penny. It has a nice portrait. It is possible to make out part of Stephen's name on this one. The coins of the Empress Matilda are very rare and very fragile. A London dealer told me that they are "impossible." He told a story about a Canadian customer who shipped one to him. When he opened the envelope, the coin was in worthless pieces. Another dealer, who is on the U.S. show circuit, told me about a piece he had 30 years ago. It was held together with museum glue, and he was sorry that he had sold it! The piece above was auctioned by Heritage. I bid more than I should have, a low 5 figure sum, and didn't get it. NGC had certified it, but it was in a special holder that was like a sealed flip. It was too fragile to put in the regular NGC prong holder.
@johnmilton …Wonderful!…the history to go with the coins is an extremely valuable resource. Really enjoyed this…very well done, Sir!…imo…Spark
“Richard” Richard is another common English name, but over the British millennium, only three rulers have had it. The first Richard, who was known as “Richard the Lionheart,” is a much admired king. He ruled from 1189 until 1199. He was a great warrior and much admired battlefield commander. Today a heroic statue of him stands outside of the Halls of Parliament. Yet, from the British perspective, Richard regarded England as little more than an afterthought. Richard I was far more French than he was English. He spent only about ten months of his ten year reign in England. The rest of his time was devoted to his French holdings and fighting the Third Crusade in the Middle East. Richard II, who ruled from 1377 until 1399, became king when he was 14 years old. Such an early rise to power has not been a good harbinger for the success of a British monarch. Perhaps because of his concerns about asserting his authority as king, Richard’s relationships with the British ruling class was stormy. At one point he was nearly deposed. After a brief period of good behavior, Richard returned to his old ways. Ultimately Richard was deposed and replaced. He spent his last days in prison where he either starved himself to death or was starved to death. Richard III ruled from 1483 until 1485. He was a usurper who snatched the crown from Edward V. Edward V was the 12 year old son of King Edward IV who died unexpectedly at age 40. Richard, who was Edward IV’s brother, had no right to crown. He is most often mentioned as “the murderer of the innocents” who had Edward IV’s two sons imprisoned, murdered and buried in the Tower of London. Richard III does have his defenders. They point out that when Richard was not trying to snatch the crown, he was an effective administrator. They further point out that King Henry VII (ruled 1485 to 1509) had an equal motive to kill Edward IV’s sons since his claim to the crown was also tenuous. William Shakespeare depicted Richard III as a deformed monster in his play by the same name. Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth and Henry VII, the founder of the Tudor Dynasty, replaced him in 1485. Henry VII had Richard’s remains quietly buried at a friary in Leicester, but his tomb was destroyed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII in 1536. His remains were found under a parking lot in Leicester City in 2013 confirming the rumors, that Richard did have a curvature of the spine. He was given a proper burial at Leicester Cathedral. After Richard III’s death in 1485, no other British monarch has been named Richard. Could this be by design or happenstance? I showed a picture of the British coin of Richard the Lionheart in the opening post. Here is a French Richard the Lionheart coin. Here is a French Aquitaine denier of Richard I. Unlike the British coin, the obverse does spell out Richard's name "RICA / RDVS/" This coin is roughly the same size as the British penny. Here is a groat or 4 pence of Richard II. This is a very scarce coin, which is hard to locate. By this time the English coins had a very good reputation in Europe for their weight and quality. It got to be too good because many of them were shipped to the European mainland and melted. This Richard II half penny is more common. This is a groat of Richard III. This is also a scarce coin because Richard ruled for only about three years. This Richard III penny is the most common coin from this ruler. Here is a photo of Richard III's skeleton which was found in a parking lot in Leicester. It proved that he did have a curvature of the spine. Richard III has since been given a proper burial.
Love the history, thanks for posting this. This is an area of numismatics that has long interested me. I haven't yet got into it, but after reading this, that could change!
“Henry” The name “Henry” has been shared by eight British monarchs, but it has not appeared after Henry VIII died in 1547. Among the eight kings named Henry, numbers I, II, V and VII have been judged as effective, if not necessarily benevolent rulers. Historians characterize Henry III as weak and indecisive. Henry IV was racked by guilt over the fact that he deposed Richard II. Henry VI had mental issues and was deposed only to be restored to the crown and deposed a second time. Henry VII started the House of Tudor dynasty. Henry VIII was a unique individual. In his youth, Henry VIII was the image of a Renaissance man. He was strong and very athletic. He was educated and very well read. He played music well and may have been a composer. All of that changed as he grew older. Some say he changed after he was knocked unconscious during a jousting match. He remained comatose for a few hours. When he regained consciousness, he was a changed man. He became imperious and cruel. Henry VIII is most famous for his six wives and his break with the Catholic Church. He always had a wondering eye and was constantly having extra marital affairs, but he was also obsessed with fathering a male child who would continue the Tudor Dynesty. To this end he discarded wives who could not give him a surviving son. Among his six wives Henry had two executed. He dumped two more. Jane Seymour give him his son, but died from complications from childbirth. His last wife, Katherine Parr, survived him. Henry debased the coinage to pay for his lavish lifestyle. He came to be known as “old copper nose” because the nose on his portrait on the debased silver coins issued toward the end of his reign turned brown in circulation. He also plundered Catholic properties to take charge of their wealth. It is interesting that there has not been another British King named “Henry” since he died in 1547. Could it be that subsequent monarchs did not want to saddle their sons with Henry’s reputation? A young Henry VIII appears on this two pence piece which was issued during the period from 1526 to 1544. "Renaissance" portraits of the king were introduced during the reign of Henry VIII's father, Henry VII. The king was depicted as a real person instead of the caricatures of medieval times. Old Henry VIII appears on this groat or four pence from 1544 to 1547.
“James” James I (1603-25) was originally James VI of Scotland. He became king when Elizabeth I, “the virgin queen,” died childless. He was a respected monarch, but the same could not be said for his son, James II who ruled briefly from 1685-8. James II was a devout Catholic who wanted to return England to the great church’s fold. He appointed Catholics to key positions in the government and interfered in the conduct of Protestant services. He was removed as a result of a bloodless coup. James fled to France where he, his son and grandson spent decades trying to regain the crown. His most serious attempt was in 1689. when his supporters, French troops and Irish revolutionaries joined him in a raid on the British Isles. An interesting numismatic by-product of this failed attempt was “gun money.” These pieces were base metal tokens, sometimes made from melted down guns, which James promised to redeem in silver coin once he regained the crown. His efforts failed in 1691 , and the pieces were never redeemed although they did trade at a discount below their face value for a time. James’ son and grandson, the Jacobites, continued the quest to regain the crown. They were known in England as the “old and young pretenders” and roundly disliked. No subsequent king has been named “James.” James I introduced this large gold coin, "the unite," which was worth 20 shillings and then 22 shillings from 1612. It celebrated the uniting of England and Scotland under his reign. James I replaced the unite with laurel in 1619. This lighter gold coin was valued at 20 shillings. The coin above is a half laurel (Note the "X" behind James' head). Charles II introduced the guinea which was valued at 21 shillings. James II continued to issue the coin. After he was deposed in a bloodless coup, James II attempted to regain his crown by force. He was supported by Englishmen and Scotsmen who were loyal to him, the French and the revolutionary Irishmen. James issued gunmoney pieces which he promised to redeem in silver coin after he had regained the crown. Some of these pieces were made from metal recovered from melted down guns. These pieces had months on them which marked the time James would redeem them, to avoid getting slammed with redemptions all at once. The top piece, a shilling (XII pence) had a "Dec." date while the bottom one, and half crown (XXX for 30 pence) bore a "Sep." date. James failed to regain the crown, and these pieces were never redeemed. They did trade as tokens at a discount for a time, however.
“Charles” Charles I holds the dubious distinction as the only British king who was publicly put to death. Others were quietly starved to death or executed in prison. Charles I had no idea what would happen to his reign when he named his son Charles in 1630. Charles II learned the lessons from the fate of his father and had a quiet, non-controversial reign. His greatest transgression was a series of mistresses with whom he fathered at least 12 illegitimate children. Oddly enough Charles and his queen did not have any surviving children. The crown passed to his brother, James II, when he died. After Charles died in 1685, there would not be another king named Charles until the current monarch inherited the crown in 2022. Was this span of over three centuries planned, or a matter of fate? A Charles I unite gold coin. A Charles II shilling. A Charles III sovereign.
Why did kings Richard I (1189 to 1199) and John (1199-1216) continue to issue their British coins with their late father's (Henry II) name on them? A dealer explained to me that it was to continue the confidence that domestic and foreign merchants had gained in the quality of Henry II's coinage. After William the Conqueror, the quality of the British coinage fell to a very low level. During Henry II's reign, people were constantly clipping off little pieces of his coins sometimes to check the purity of the silver alloy. Once a coin had been clipped or "snicked," people refused to take it. Henry tried to solve that problem by taking a "snick" from the coins at the mint. Things got even worse during the reign of Stephen (see above). Henry II's first coins were not well made, but then there was a dramatic improvement. By the end of his reign, British coins had become among the most trusted pieces in Europe. There for Richard and John continued to name Henry on their coinage. Attributing the coins to the three rulers can be tricky. Here are three examples. A penny of Henry II Richard I pennies often have stubble on his chin and 7 pearls in his crown across his forehead. John's coins have five pearls in his crown above his forehead.
