The Reflection of the Navarrese Problem in Coinage – Part 2

In the first section, we analyzed the division of the kingdom caused by the attack and conquest of Fernando the Forger and how both in the North, the Labrit family and their Bourbon descendants, and in the South, Fernando the Trastamara and his Austrian descendants, attempted to reinforce the message of legitimacy of power through the coins they minted.

The Peace of the Pyrenees (1659) had another unexpected consequence, due to the marriage between Louis XIV and Maria Teresa, daughter of Philip IV. When Charles II, the last Austrian king of Spain, died without an heir in 1700, the crown of Spain was inherited by Philip of the House of Bourbon, Duke of Anjou, grandson of Louis XIV. That is, after the Austrian king Charles V of Navarre (1665-1700), the Bourbon king Philip VII (1700-1746) came to the throne of Upper Navarre.

He only minted small coins at the Pamplona mint, but even in this case, he made no explicit reference or claim to the kingship of Navarre. As an ordinal, he used the number V, which was already the king of Castile or, better said, of the Spains by this time, instead of VII of Navarre, and as a title, he used the title HISPANIARVM REX, that is, King of the Spains instead of the title of King of Navarre.

Of course, Philip owed his kingship of Spain to his grandfather, King Louis XIV, and since he proudly presented the title of King of Navarre, it was not advisable to anger him.

Philip VII of Navarre (1700-1746), this is a copper maravedia minted by Philip V of Spain at the Pamplona mint – year not shown, again 1728 – 2.17 gr

Obverse: HISPANIARVM.REX FI V PA

Back: PHILIP.VDG Year not shown

But just in case, a few years after the death of Louis XIV (1715), his heir to the title of king of France and Navarre, Louis XV of France and Louis IV of Navarre (1715-1774), also nephew of Philip V of Spain, wanted to make it clear that he was the owner of the title of king of Navarre and had the following silver shields, called "Ecu de Navarre", struck in all the mints of the French kingdom (remember that the Donapaleu mint was closed in 1672 by Louis XIV, but in the Basque Country itself, a few pieces of divisor value were struck at the Bayonne mint):

Silver shield (Ecu de Navarre) of King Louis IV of Navarre (1715-1774), Louis XV of France, minted in mints throughout France – 24.32gr

Front: LVD.XV.DGFR.ET.NAV.REX

Back: SIT.NOMEN.DOMINI.BENEDICTVM.1718 A (Paris Mint)

King Philip of Bourbon adopted the model of his Austrian ancestors and continued to offer on his coins a summary of the different territories and origins of the royal house. This summary was largely the same as that composed by Philip II, with the exception of two details:

1. After Portugal separated from the Spanish crown in 1668, it removed its coat of arms from its coins.
2. He added to the coat of arms the characteristic of the three lilies of the Bourbon house.

Eight reales silver coin minted by Philip V of Bourbon of Spain in 1727 at the Segovia mint – 27.39gr

Front: PHILIPPUS.VDG

Reverse: HISPANIARVM.REX. 1727

The pictorial texts used on small coins minted in Navarre provoked numerous complaints from the local courts, which repeatedly demanded the use of the titles and ordinals of the King of Navarre.

In 1753, the situation began to change somewhat in the coins minted at the Pamplona mint. Until that year, King Philip's son, Ferdinand VI of Spain (1746-1759), had used the same obverses as his father and the VI ordinal of Spain, but from that year he began to use the II ordinal corresponding to the kingdom of Navarre. Regarding the obverses, Ferdinand did not make any changes, but his half-brother Charles III, Charles VI of Navarre (1759-1788), took the final step and approved the requests of the courts.

Ferdinand II of Navarre (1746-1759), this is a copper maravedia minted by Ferdinand VI of Spain at the Pamplona mint – 1753 – 3.05 gr – VIth ordinal.

Obverse: HISPANIARVM.REX.1753 FO VI

Back: FERDINANDVS.VI.DG PA

Ferdinand II of Navarre (1746-1759), this is a copper maravedia minted by Ferdinand VI of Spain at the Pamplona mint – from 1753 onwards – II. ordinal.

Obverse: HISPANIARVM.REX. year not shown FO II

Back: FERDINANDVS.II.DG PA

Charles VI of Navarre (1759-1788), copper maravedia minted by Charles III of Spain at the Pamplona mint – 1769 – 2.49 gr – VIth ordinal.

Front: CAROLVS.VI.DG CAR VI

Back: NAVARRE.REX.1769 PA

The Bourbon monarchy across the Pyrenees took the title of king of Navarre very seriously, and both Louis XV and Louis XVI (1774-1793) used the Navarrese coat of arms on gold coins minted at mints throughout France. The 1792 gold coins, minted when Louis V of Navarre was about to lose his head, are the last French coins to feature the Navarrese coat of arms. From that year onwards, the last vestiges of the ancien régime gave way to the French nation-state, and the Navarrese coat of arms has never appeared on its coins.

King Louis V of Navarre (1774-1793), Louis XVI of France, gold double Louis minted in mints throughout France – 15.27gr

Front: LVD.XVI.DGFR.ET.NAV.REX

Reverse: CHRS.REGN.VINC.IMPER.1792 A (left A = Paris Mint)

The French royal family always used the Navarrese coat of arms, but with the exception of the reign of Charles I, the Navarrese coat of arms never appeared on the coins of the Spanish royal family. But the same Bonaparte family that put the final nail in the coffin of the ancien régime needed new bases of legitimation for the new crown they had obtained in Spain, and this is where the Navarrese coat of arms first appeared:

Twenty reales silver coin of King Joseph Bonaparte of Spain (1808-1813) minted in 1809 at the Madrid mint – approx. 27gr

Front: JOSEPH.NAP.DEI.GRATIA.1809

Back: HISPANIARUM.ET.IND.REX.MAI 20R

The reign of Joseph Bonaparte (1808-1813) did not last long and the Bourbons returned to the Spanish monarchy in 1813. And when the Bourbons returned, they resumed their old customs. In Navarre, they minted the last beautiful small copper coins, minted by a flywheel press, with the titles and ordinals of the Navarrese monarchy. In these times they no longer had competition from the French Bourbons, who had gone from being kings of the Franks and Navarre to being kings of the French.

In the Spanish monarchy, the new nation-state brought by the liberals was finally pushing forward, and this is the last example of a coin minted at the Pamplona Mint with the Navarrese coat of arms. These coins were minted in 1833, before the death of King Ferdinand and the beginning of the First Carlist War.

3 maravedita copper coin minted by King Ferdinand III of Navarre (1813-1833) and King Ferdinand VII of Spain at the Pamplona Mint – approximately 5.60 gr.

Obverse: FERDINANDVS.III.DG 3 M

Back: NAVARRAE.REX.1833 PP

Although the Liberals won the Carlist War and power, the constitutional monarchy of the Bourbons still displayed the family coat of arms on gold coins minted until the 1860s. This can be clearly seen in the following issue, where in addition to the coats of arms we know, we can distinguish the coats of arms of the Duchies of Parma and Tuscany, added by Charles III.

100 reales gold coin minted in 1862 by Queen Isabel II of Spain (1833-1868) at the Seville Mint – 8.38gr 22mm

Front: ISABEL 2° POR LA G. DE DIOS Y LA CONST. 1862

Back: QUEEN OF SPAIN 100Rs

After the Glorious Revolution of 1868, the coat of arms of Navarre first appeared within the Spanish coat of arms that we still use today, since from that time onward the name Spain was used on coins, instead of the plural name Spains.

One of the first pesetas minted under the Provisional Government in 1869 – Five Pesetas – 24.94gr – Creation of the new coat of arms of Spain

Front: SPAIN. 1869 LM

Back: LEY 900 MILESIMAS. 40 PIECES IN KILOG. 5 PESETAS SNM

Bibliography:

The last obverse shield in a Hispanic coin – Numismatico DIGITAL-Lanzarote-2015 – link

LEARNING BASQUE LANGUAGE – CONVERSATIONS – IÑIGO BOLINAGA – link

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