Baionako Txanponetxea, Euskal Txanpongintzaren Historia

The Coin of the Pyrenees Peace Treaty

On July 22, 1659, Cardinal Jules Mazarin, Prime Minister of King Louis XIV of France and consequently King Louis III of Navarre, arrived in the Sovereign Principality of Bidaxun. There, at a dinner organized at the end of the day, he was honored and flattered by Antoine III. Sovereign Prince of Bidaxun, Count of Agarmont, Marshal of France, Viceroy of Bearn and Navarre, and Mayor of Bayonne, at his castle in Bidaxun… The Count of Agarmont, […]

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A look at the Bayonne Mint – Part 2, Presses at work

1 Comment / Bayonne Mint, Historical Context / Monakotik

In the 1640s, a new coinage reform took place in the Kingdom of France. As part of this reform, new types of coins were created, with new weights and values. But in addition, the hammered coinage was banned and the coinage by the flywheel press, promoted by Jean Varin (or Warin), was made mandatory throughout the kingdom. The aim, once again, was to improve the quality of the coins and, as a result,

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A look at the Bayonne Mint – Part 1, Hammer by hammer

1 Comment / Bayonne Mint, Historical Context / Monakotik

The most prolific and prosperous mint in the current Basque territories was the mint of Bayonne. During the 16th and 17th centuries, while the importance and richness of the coinage of the Kingdom of Navarre declined (both in Upper Navarre and Lower Navarre), Bayonne became one of the most important mints in France. However, since the coins of Bayonne were minted under the authority and in the name of the French kings, the Navarrese mint

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When French Language appeared on Basque coins

1 Comment / Bayonne Mint, Social and Economic Context, Historical Context / Monakotik

As we saw in the previous entry (link), the French Revolution brought about a complete change in European political thought. This change took place throughout the 19th century in different European territories, where the creation and expansion of the nation-state occurred as the century passed. At the same time that the old regime was fading away, new nation-states began to build the foundations of their symbols, myths and structures.

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