Champagne Supernova

[John Conduitt]

Forty years ago, a detectorist found a cache of seven 12th century coins in spoil from the Thames foreshore at Billingsgate. This could well have been during excavations in 1982 and 1983 on Lower Thames Street, between the Tower of London and the Monument to the Great Fire of 1666. While the contractors dug, the Society of Thames Mudlarks scanned the spoil and found numerous items. The Museum of London decided they didn’t want the coins and so, they eventually ended up in my possession.

Count Henri II of Champagne and Brie Denier, 1181-1197

Provins. Billon, 0.94g. Potent cross, pellet in 1st and 4th quarters, omega in 2nd quarter, alpha in 3rd quarter; + HENRI COMES (Count Henri). Champenois comb surmounted by a T between two inverted crescents; PRVVINS CASTRI (of the Castle of Provins). Prograde S (Poey d'Avant 5972). Henri also became Henri I of Jerusalem after the Third Crusade (1189-1192). Jerusalem was not held by him, and instead he had his capital at Acre.

The foreshore at Billingsgate is rich in archaeology. This isn’t because it was an active place historically, although there were commercial buildings there in the 1100s and even Roman baths. It’s because the land there was reclaimed from the river several times from the 900s to the 1500s, using revetments backfilled with domestic and commercial waste from the city. This and similar deposits a little further down at Vintry have yielded quantities of coins comparable with medieval markets, and a lot of material consistent with medieval activity in the immediate vicinity.

Count Henri II of Champagne and Brie Denier, 1181-1197

Troyes. Billon, 0.90g. Cross with annulet in second quarter and pellet in third quarter; ✠ HENRICVS COMES (Count Henri). TEBO monogram; ✜ TRECAS CIVITAS (City of Trecassium) (Poey d'Avant 5951). The Counts of Champagne, whose territory exceeded that of the French king, made Troyes their capital in the 1100s.

But these are not English coins. Six of the seven are from the County of Champagne and nearby Reims and Auxerre. In the 1000s, the French nobility, bishops and abbots had the right to strike coins but by the 1100s such coinage was scarce. A resurgent French monarchy under Philip II Augustus took control of the coinage and debased coins in his name became dominant. So debased, in fact, that by the late 1100s, the English penny was the preferred currency across northern Europe and imitations of English pennies even began to appear.

Count Thibaut III of Champagne and Brie Denier, 1197-1201

Provins. Billon, 1.09g. Potent cross, pellet in 1st and 4th quarters, omega in 2nd quarter, alpha in 3rd quarter; + TEBAT COMES (Count Theobald). Champenois comb surmounted by a T between two inverted crescents; CASTRI PRVVINS (of the Castle of Provins) (Poey d'Avant 5978). Thibaut III was made heir by his brother Henri II before he went on the Third Crusade. Thibaut III cooperated closely with his uncle, King Philip II Augustus of France.

So, while French coins of this period can be found in England, and debts of those nobles with lands in France were even expressed in French currency, feudal issues from the time are not found in England. What were these coins doing in London?

Feudal France showing the Angevin Lands

The County of Champagne and the Archbishopric of Reims are in light blue. The mints of the coins are highlighted in yellow.

This was a time of conflict. Count Henri II’s mother, Marie of France, was the daughter of Louis VII and Eleanor of Acquitaine, and the half-sister of Kings Richard and John of England and King Philip II Augustus of France. The tangles in this family tree led to war. Philip II fought both Richard and John over their French possessions. He married Isabelle of Hainaut, who’d been betrothed to Marie's eldest son, prompting Marie to join disgruntled nobles (including the queen mother, Adela of Champagne, and the Archbishop of Reims) in an unsuccessful plot against him.

Guillaume I aux Blanches Mains Obol, 1176-1202

Archbishopric of Reims. Billon, 14mm, 0.27g. Legend in two lines between two lines and two pellets; GVLE; RMVS; + ARCHIEPISCOPVS around (William Archbishop). Cross with two lilies and two crescents in angles; X REMIS CIVITAS (City of Reims) (Poey d'Avant 6073). William White Hands was son of Thibaut II the Great (1090-1152), who was Count of Champagne and grandfather of Count Henri II, Thibaut III and King Philip II Augustus. The dioceses in Reims included Troyes, while the kings of France were crowned at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Reims.

The coins date from 1175 to 1202, with an earliest deposition date of 1198, after the death of Count Henri II. This was just before John’s accession to the English throne in 1199. He came to an agreement with Philip II to recognise his possession of Angevin lands in 1200, but when war broke out again in 1202, John’s treatment of French nobles resulted in the collapse of his French empire. Could this turmoil have something to do with the coins coming to London?

Count Thibaut III of Champagne and Brie Denier, 1197-1201

Provins. Billon, 1.09g. Potent cross, pellet in 1st and 4th quarters, omega in 2nd quarter, alpha in 3rd quarter; + TEBAT COMES (Count Theobald). Champenois comb surmounted by a T between two inverted crescents; CASTRI PRVVINS (of the Castle of Provins) (Poey d'Avant 5978).

Conflict is often a reason for coins to be abandoned, but plenty were lost in everyday life. London was England’s main port and merchants from across Europe did business there. England’s connections to France were strong, given much was under English control. But none of the coins are from Angevin lands, or even the domaine royal of France. Whoever brought them to London clearly arrived from the County of Champagne and Brie, a region whose nobility wasn’t under English control and had no ties to England, unless you count Chrétien de Troyes, who served at the court of the aforementioned Marie of France, and created much of the legend of King Arthur, the Round Table and the Holy Grail.

Anonymous Denier from the County of Auxerre, 1175-1200

Auxerre. Billon, 1.03g. Cross with pellets in the 1st and 4th quarters; ✠ ALTISIODOR (Auxerre). Cross in a beaded circle, surrounded by four groups of three pellets (Poey d'Avant 5893). Peter II of Courtenay was Count of Auxerre from 1184 to 1218. He accompanied his cousin, King Philip II Augustus, on the third Crusade in 1190, returning to France in 1193.

Even so, trade seems a likely link. The coins were too debased to circulate in England but could have been brought there by a merchant. Troyes, the capital of Champagne, held major trade fairs at which goods from across Europe were traded, including wool from England. Indeed, Troyes is the birthplace of knitting, a technique that produces more flexible fabric than weaving and doesn’t require a loom. The Troyes weighing system is still used for gold and silver (troy weight, with 12 ounces to a pound). Perhaps the owner of the coins was a trader from Champagne doing business with English wool merchants, or an English wool merchant returning from Troyes.

Anonymous Obol from the Abbey of Saint-Martin de Tours, 1100-1200

Tours. Billon, 0.71g. Castle tournois; ✠ SCS MARTINVS (Saint Martin). Cross pattée; ✠ TVRONVS CIVI (City of Tours) (cf Poey d'Avant 1638). Touraine was controlled by King John of England until Philip II Augustus confiscated it in 1204.

As for King John, his attempt to defeat Philip failed in 1214. When he returned to England, he faced a rebellion by his barons, who were unhappy with their treatment (and loss of land). Both John and the barons signed the Magna Carta peace treaty in 1215, but neither complied. Civil war erupted, the barons aided by Louis VIII of France. John died of dysentery in 1216. Henry III defeated Louis and the rebel barons the following year.

The benefit of everyone having their currencies based on silver was that you could, in theory, use any coin anywhere, as long as you didn’t debase them too much. The Champagne denier is a good-looking coin and not exactly common, but cheap even compared to Henry III pennies. Just as it was at the time. I wonder whether the owner even noticed they’d lost them.

[expat]

Great written historical background and truly wonderful presentation of the coins.

 

[seth77]

Henri II was nephew to both Richard and Philippe and the coins seem to gravitate to the Third Crusade and the preparations for the Fourth. In theory they could be related to this aspect also, not just to the obvious trade. On the other hand, the deniers of Provins were widely accepted in the 12th century and starting with the 1190s they were tariffed at parity with the royal parisis so the presence of a regular champenois trader is also a distinct possibility. An English participant returning from the Champagne Fairs is also possible.

[JeandAcre]

Fantastic find provenance, @John Conduitt, replete with admirably wide-ranging yet (for some of us) mysteriously concise historical context.  ...I even have to envy you your map (...a link would be keenly appreciated)!

Here's one fun sidelight on the deniers of Provins, in connection with just how prominent the Champagne fairs were in the international economic landscape.  This is one of an extensive series of imitations, issued by the 'Senate' (effectively the secular civic authority) of Rome.  On stylistic grounds, the earlier examples are dated to around the beginning of the 13th century.  The 'SENATVS' legend on the obverse, replacing the count's name, is relatively clear.  (To the right; sorry.)

[John Conduitt]

14 hours ago, seth77 said:

Henri II was nephew to both Richard and Philippe and the coins seem to gravitate to the Third Crusade and the preparations for the Fourth. In theory they could be related to this aspect also, not just to the obvious trade. On the other hand, the deniers of Provins were widely accepted in the 12th century and starting with the 1190s they were tariffed at parity with the royal parisis so the presence of a regular champenois trader is also a distinct possibility. An English participant returning from the Champagne Fairs is also possible.

Yes I can't get the logistics of the Crusades to fit in my mind. The 3rd Crusade was long over by 1198 and while it could fit with the 4th, I don't know why a Frenchman would be in London just beforehand. But interestingly, the army for the 4th Crusade was put together at a tournament held by Count Thibaut of Champagne in 1199, at exactly the right time (two of the coins are his). Perhaps an English noble and his retinue attended, or someone from Champagne was trying to drum up support in England afterwards.

But most 4th Crusade participants came from France and I think any Englishmen joining in were less likely to come from London - a place for merchants rather than landed gentry, while the Cinque Ports were in Kent and Sussex. I'm also guessing these coins weren't buried as a hoard, but lost. 7 coins isn't a huge amount. It seems more likely to be a wool trader from England or Champagne, since at the time wool was a huge, wealthy industry for both. Perhaps he dropped his purse in the river.
 

12 hours ago, JeandAcre said:

Fantastic find provenance, @John Conduitt, replete with admirably wide-ranging yet (for some of us) mysteriously concise historical context.  ...I even have to envy you your map (...a link would be keenly appreciated)!

Here's one fun sidelight on the deniers of Provins, in connection with just how prominent the Champagne fairs were in the international economic landscape.  This is one of an extensive series of imitations, issued by the 'Senate' (effectively the secular civic authority) of Rome.  On stylistic grounds, the earlier examples are dated to around the beginning of the 13th century.  The 'SENATVS' legend on the obverse, replacing the count's name, is relatively clear.  (To the right; sorry.)

Thank you. Is mysteriously concise good? 🤣

It's interesting they copied the Champagne denier, given it didn't contain a huge amount of silver. But labelling it SENATVS I presume they were just trying to establish some sort of legitimacy.

[JeandAcre]

6 hours ago, John Conduitt said:

Yes I can't get the logistics of the Crusades to fit in my mind. The 3rd Crusade was long over by 1198 and while it could fit with the 4th, I don't know why a Frenchman would be in London just beforehand. But interestingly, the army for the 4th Crusade was put together at a tournament held by Count Thibaut of Champagne in 1199, at exactly the right time (two of the coins are his). Perhaps an English noble and his retinue attended, or someone from Champagne was trying to drum up support in England afterwards.

But most 4th Crusade participants came from France and I think any Englishmen joining in were less likely to come from London - a place for merchants rather than landed gentry, while the Cinque Ports were in Kent and Sussex. I'm also guessing these coins weren't buried as a hoard, but lost. 7 coins isn't a huge amount. It seems more likely to be a wool trader from England or Champagne, since at the time wool was a huge, wealthy industry for both. Perhaps he dropped his purse in the river.
 

Thank you. Is mysteriously concise good? 🤣

It's interesting they copied the Champagne denier, given it didn't contain a huge amount of silver. But labelling it SENATVS I presume they were just trying to establish some sort of legitimacy.

...Nope, Promise you, from here, 'mysteriously concise' is Very good!

The medieval 'senate' of Rome sent me to, um, well, Wiki, to confirm the extent to which I'd known what I was talking about.  The word really was formally in play, in reference to the civic infrastructure, as yet another instance of wholesale and not especially responsible appropriation of Classical precedent.  The interesting part is the evolution of the term's meaning over this interval.  During the 12th century, with a papacy weakened by, for instance, Robert Guiscard's sacking of the city, the 'Senate,' qua secular city government, had a high level of autonomy relative to the popes, evolving into a commune, or the kind of self-governing, mercantile city common to much of the Continent at this point.  From the earlier 13th century, with the reascendancy of papal power, the city once again became more subservient to papal rule.  The term 'Senate' was kept, but with greatly diminished political significance.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome#Middle_Ages

[Severus Alexander]

Great writeup, and such a cool provenance for those coins. Like JeandAcre I appreciate the great map too!

I love the wordplay on the Champagne coins, with a comb pictured in the coin's field: "champ" (field) + "peigne" (comb). I don't have much in the way of Feudal France, but I do have one of these, with a castle added (Thibaut IV, 1201-53). I believe these are the last of the type:

Another interesting one I have is this coin from Sancerre (located near Bourges), issued by Etienne I (1152-91), one of the feudal lords who rebelled against Philip II Augustus. The obverse legend is IVLIVS CESAR, and that's supposed to be a portrait of Caesar:

How's that for a Caesar portrait coin! 😆 The explanation for the weird type is that there was a temple dedicated to Caesar there soon after the conquest of Gaul, and it continued to be a local landmark of some importance into the medieval period.

A couple other relevant coins are this denier of Aquitaine, sometimes attributed to Eleanor, if we interpret the legend DVCISIT as Ducissa Itervm (“Duchess again”). Duplessy gives it to Guillaume X, her father:

Finally, here's a Richard I The Lionheart from Poutou:

As your post shows, the politics of this period were so complex that everyone was connected with everyone else in multiple ways... hard to keep track of it all!