KINGS AND QUEENS OF ENGLAND by JEAN DASSIER

Dassier, Jean:  Jean Dassier (1676-1763) was one of the most prominent and celebrated engravers of the eighteenth century.  Highly regarded for his artistic skills, Jean Dassier was but one member of a noted Swiss family of medallists.  He trained under his father, Domaine Dassier (1641-1719), chief engraver at the mint in Geneva.  Jean later studied in Paris under Jean Mauger and Joseph Roettier(s).  After serving his father as assistant engraver at Geneva, Jean assumed the position of chief engraver following his father's death, a position he held until his own death over forty years later. Jean Dassier was the most prolific of the family, issuing several series of medals, including a series of small medals (jetons) Les metamorphoses d’Ovide, a series of medals representing celebrated men and women in France during the 17th century (les hommes illustres du siecle de Louis XIV), a series of medals depicting the principal Protestant Reformers, The Genevan Theologians, medals illustrating the history of Geneva and, when in England, a series of famous English men (The British Worthies) and a series of English Sovereigns from William I to George II. In conjunction with his son, he also issued a series of small medals illustrating Roman history.  Jean Dassier's three sons followed his footsteps in engraving, most notably Jacques-Antoine Dassier (1715-1759). The historian Forrer has claimed that Jean Dassier 'may be termed one of the greatest of eighteenth century Medallists' (Forrer, vol. 1: 339).

"The first set of medals made by Jean Dassier was damascened bronze, bronze medals with the design highlighted in gold. The sets contained 33 medals. Only a few of these sets were made for presentation purposes. One set was presented to Geroge II, to whom the series was dedicated. He liked the medals but asked that a medal for Caroline, his wife, be added. Thus when the series was offered for sale in London in 1731 it contained 34 medals. The medals from this set which have survived suggest that the set was on sale for some time and some of the dies were re-cut by Dassier, presumably because the original dies had become damaged whilst in use."
 

Here is an example of the damascened bronze medals (photo provided by the British Museum)


"In c1755, Jean Dassier, probably with the help and involvement of his on Jacques-Antoine, reissued the Kings and Queens Series. He replaced the medal of George II. The obverse of the replacement medal was similar to the dedication medal in the original set, but showed an older image of the King. This set sometimes occurred in wooden trays. Some of the medals, struck at this time and later, have less definition than those struck in 1731 and that Jean Dassier re-cut the obverse of the Elizabeth I meda. The set was reissued in London in about 1773. There were 36 medals in this issue. The first 33 of the medals are the same as those issued by Jean Dassier in c1755. The medal of George II was the same as the dedication medal issued in 1731 and a medal by Lewis Pingo of George II (BHM 265) and a medal of Queen Charlotte by J Kirk (BHM 184) were added."

 

GEORGE II, DEDICATION MEDAL

DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of George II GEORGIUS. II. D. G. MAG. BR. FR. ET. HIB. REX.
Rev: Inscription NUMISMATA REGUM ANGLIAE A GULIELMO PRIMO AD HAEC USQUE TEMPORA GEORGIO II. MAGNAE BRITANNIAE FRANCIAE ET HIBERNIAE REGI SERENISSIMO ETC. DICATA A JOANNE DASSIER GENEVENSIS REIPUB. CAELATORE MONETALI ANNO M.DCC.XXXI. (Medals of the Kings of England from William the First to These Very Times, Dedicated to George II, the Most Serene King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, &C., by Jean Dassier, Engraver of Coins to the Republic of Geneva, 1731.)
Signed: J. DASSIER F.
Dedication Medal For the Series, The Sovereigns of England
Ref: M.I. i, 498/43; Eimer 79 /525; Mollinari, 331; Eisler I, 252/2; Thompson 34/34

George II (1683-1760), King of Great Britain and Ireland and Elector of Hanover (1727-1760), was born George Augustus, the son and successor of George I. As Prince of Wales, George quarreled with his father and turned his home into a meeting place for dissident ministers. As king, his politics was dominated by Sir Robert Walpole until Walpole was forced to resign by the machinations of George's estranged son, Frederick Louis. Walpole was replaced by John Carteret (later Earl Granville). George and Granville took Britain into the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-48). The war, however, was generally unpopular and forced Granville's dismissal in 1744. George survived the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. A year later he appointed William Pitt (The Elder) as prime minister, and it was largely due to Pitt that Britain was victorious in the Seven Years' War (1756-63) against France. Britain's prosperity grew rapidly during George's reign. He was a great patron of the arts and was responsible for bringing the composer George Frederic Handel to Britain. George II was succeeded by his grandson George III. (From O'Brien)

 

WILLIAM I, THE CONQUEROR

DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of William I with winged helmet to indicate the rapidity of the conquest. GULIELMUS. I. CONQUAESTOR. D. G. ANG. REX.  (William I, the Conqueror, by the Grace of God, King of England).
Rev: Seated on pedestal of tomb are a captive and England lamenting her subjugation. Pedestal is ornamented with a bas-relief representing the surrender of the keys of London to the Conqueror after the Battle of Hastings.
Exergue: NAT J023. COR. J066. MORT. J087
Signed: J.D.
The date of the birth should have been 1027.
Ref: M.I. i, p.2; Med. Hist. Engl. 1/1; Eimer 27/1; Eisler I, 253/3; Thompson 21/01

William I (William the Conqueror or William of Normandy) (1027-1087) (reigned 1066-1087) was one of the greatest soldiers and rulers of the Middle Ages and became the mightiest feudal lord in France, changing the course of England’s history by his conquest. William was born in Falaise, Normandy, the illegitimate son of Robert I of Normandy. He became Duke of Normandy (as William II) in 1035. In 1051, William visited his cousin Edward the Confessor in England and, because Edward was childless, William was designated the successor to the English throne. In 1054 William married Matilda, a descendant of Alfred the Great, thus supporting further his right to be king of England. Following Edward’s death, William claimed the English throne. However, Harold, Earl of Essex, usurped the throne for himself, causing William to invade England, where in 1066 he defeated and killed Harold at the Battle of Hastings. Ruthlessly crushing internal resistance, William defeated the invading Danes and enforced his rule over the whole kingdom during a period that would come to be known as the Norman Conquest. He rewarded his supporters with grants of land and eventually replaced almost the entire Anglo-Saxon feudal ruling class with Normans. He invaded Scotland in 1072 and Wales in 1081. One of his lasting legacies was his commissioning of a survey of the English kingdom, known as the Domesday Book. This study, which is the most complete survey of lands in mediaeval Europe, now serves as an important primary historical source. William died in 1087 in a campaign against Philip I of France. He was succeeded on the throne by his son William II. (O’Brien)

 

WILLIAM II


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of William II   GULIELMUS. II. D.G. ANGLIAE. REX. (William II, by the Grace of God, King of England).
Rev: Tomb in form of a casket, the front of which is decorated with a winged head; the sides are decorated with the head of a Faun between two withered branches. A Faun, in Roman mythology, is one of a group of rural deities represented as having the body of a man and the horns, ears, tail, and sometimes legs of a goat.
Exergue: NAT. J060. COR. J087. MORT. J100.
Signed: J. D.
Ref: M.I. i, 2; Thompson 22/02; Eisler I, 253/4a

William II (1060-1100) (William Rufus) was the son of William the Conqueror and King of England from 1087 to 1100. Rufus, ‘the Red’ because of his ruddy complexion, was William’s third (second surviving) and favorite son. In accordance with feudal custom, William I bequeathed his inheritance, the Duchy of Normandy, to his eldest son, Robert II, and his kingdom by conquest, England , was given to Rufus. William II prevented the dissolution of political ties between England and Normandy, but his strong-armed rule earned him a reputation as a brutal and corrupt tyrant. (Thompson)

The reverse of this medal is an allegory of Avarice associated with this ruler, represented by the winged head, indicating that when a man accustoms himself to that vice it always carries him too far. The flames would then represent the consuming frenzy of Avarice, and the withered branches the end result of indulging in this sin. (Eisler)

 

HENRY I


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of Henry I   HENRICUS. I. D.G. ANGLIAE REX. (Henry I, by the Grace of God, King of England).
Rev: Tomb with a bas relief representing the king investing St. Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, with his pastoral dignity, while Anselm is paying homage to Henry.
Exergue: NAT. J070. COR. J100. MORT. J135
Signed: J. D.
Ref: M.I. i, 2; Thompson 22/03; Eisler I, 253/5a

Henry I or Henry Beauclerc (Good Scholar) (1070-1135) was King of England from 1100 to 1135, having taken the throne after his brother, King William II had been killed in a hunting accident. He was the youngest and ablest son of William I the Conqueror. By his marriage to Matilda, a Scottish princess of the old Anglo-Saxon royal line, he established the foundations for peaceable relations with the Scots. Henry recalled St. Anselm, the scholarly archbishop of Canterbury whom his brother William II had banished. Anselm refused to consecrate bishops whom Henry had invested and declined to do homage to Henry. However, a compromise was eventually reached by which Henry relinquished his right to invest churchmen while Anselm submitted on the question of homage. (Thompson)

 

STEPHEN
 

DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of Stephen   STEPHANUS D.G. ANGLIAE REX. (Stephen, by the Grace of God, King of England).
Rev: A tomb upon which sits a winged infant leaning on globe. On the front and one side are bas reliefs: one representing the battle of Lincoln, where Stephen was made a prisoner, and the other representing Stephen’s queen beseeching his release from the Empress Maud (Matilda).
Exergue:  NAT. J105, COR. J135. MORT. J154
Signed:  J. D.
Ref: M.I. i, 3; Thompson 22/04; Eisler I, 254/6a

Stephen (1096-1154) also called Stephen de Blois was King of England from 1135 to 1154. He was the third son of Stephen, Count of Blois and Chartres, and Adela, daughter of King William I, the Conqueror. Stephen pledged to support Henry’s daughter, Matilda (Maud), as successor to the throne but English nobles were reluctant to accept a woman ruler and Stephen was crowned. Matilda invaded England and proceeded to bring most of western England under her control. In 1141 the Angevins captured Stephen in a battle at Lincoln. His cause might have been lost had not Matilda’s arrogance provoked a rebellion of the citizens of London. Stephen gradually gained the upper hand and in 1148 Matilda withdrew from England. (Thompson)

 

HENRY II
 

DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of Henry II    HENRICUS. II. D.G. ANG. ET HIB. REX.
Rev: On monument the king is kneeling at the shrine of St. Thomas a Becket. Below, Mars seated amid military trophies, leaning on the shield of England and holding a Victory. The lilies of France on the standard and prostrate shield of Ireland indicate the scenes of the exploits of this military monarch.  NATUS 1133 CORONAT. 1155 MORT. 1189
Signed: I.D.
The correct date of the coronation is 1154.
Ref: M.I. i, p.3; Eimer 27/5; Eisler I, 254/7; Thompson 23/05

Henry II (1133-1189) (Henry de Anjou; Henry Plantagenet) was Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou, Duke of Aquitaine and King of England from 1154 to 1189. Henry II greatly expanded his Anglo-French domains and strengthened the royal administration in England. His wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and his sons, Richard the Lion-Heart and John Lackland, ultimately brought about his defeat. He quarreled with Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, and was responsible for his murder, an act which outraged most of Europe. In 1174 Henry did public penance at Canterbury to atone for Becket’s death. (Thompson)

 

RICHARD I


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of Richard I    RICHARDUS. I. D.G. ANG. HIB. ET. CYPRI. REX. (Richard I, by the Grace of God, King of England, Ireland and Cyprus).
Rev: Monument surmounted by volutes, at the extremities of which are the crowns of England and Cyprus. The bas-relief on the front of the monument depicts a lion trampling upon a stag and menacing another animal, in allusion to the name of Coeur de Lion. Above is Fame reclining on clouds and holding a palm branch and a trumpet, symbolical of the victories and military career of the king.
Exergue:  NAT. J157. COR. J189. MORT. J199.
Ref: MI i, 3; Eimer 27/6; Eisler I, 255/8; Thompson 23/6

Richard I (The Lion Heart; Coeur de Lion) (1157-1199) was born in Chalus, Duchy of Aquitaine. He was the third son of Henry II and Eleanore of Aquitaine. Richard refused to cede Aquitaine to his youngest brother, John, and joined forces with Philip II Augustus of France to force Henry II into exile. He was the Duke of Aquitaine and of Poitiers before becoming King of England, Duke of Normandy, and Count of Anjou from 1189 to 1199. In 1189 Richard led the crusade against the great Muslim leader Saladin, who had captured Jerusalem in 1187. With money raised in England he amassed a formidable fleet and an army, and in 1190 he departed for the Holy Land. Richard conquered Cyprus and regained Acre and Joppa but failed to achieve his primary objective-- the recapture of Jerusalem. While in Cyprus, he married Berengaria of Navarre. During his return voyage to England, Richard was captured by Leopold V of Austria, who turned him over to Emperor Henry VI. Richard was released after paying a huge ransom. While Richard was in prison though, his brother John had conspired against him in England, and Philip II had invaded his territories in France. Richard was killed in battle and was succeeded by his brother John. (O’Brien)

Richard’s knightly manner and his prowess in the Third Crusade (1189-1192) made him a popular king as well as the hero of countless romantic legends

 

JOHN


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of John   IOANNES D.G. ANG. ET. HIB. REX.
Rev: Monument with fluted columns and a central medallion. The columns are surmounted by a semicircular pediment decorated with a winged cherub. The medallion is a bas-relief depicting the king, being crowned, kneeling before Pandulph, the papal legate, suggesting his submission to papal authority. Below is a papal tiara resting on a thunderbolt. On either side are two amphorae containing burning incense.
Exergue:  NAT. J166. COR. J199. MORT. J216.
Signed: J.D.
Ref: MI. i. 4; Eimer 27/7; Eisler I, 255/9; Thompson 24/7

King John (1166-1216) (John Lackland) was King of England from 1199 to 1216. John was the youngest son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. While his elder brother Richard I (The Lionheart) was absent on the Third Crusade, John conspired with Philip II of France to seize the throne of England. The plot was foiled, and John was banished and deprived of his estates. On his brother Richard’s death John was invested as Duke of Normandy and crowned King of England by Pandulph, the Pope’s Legate, the event alluded to on the reverse of this medal. In 1200 John married Isabella of Angouleme, precipitating a war with Philip II that resulted in the loss of Normandy and almost all of the other English possessions in France. In 1209 John was excommunicated by Pope Innocent III for refusing to accept Stephen Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury. John relented to papal authority in order to gain financial support from the church in his conflict with Philip II. His nephew and ally , Emperor Otto IV, was decisively defeated by Philip at the Battle of Bouvines and John’s attack on La Rochelle floundered. On his return to England, John faced civil war and was compelled to sign the Magna Carta in 1215. His continued disregard of feudal rights, however, led to the first of the Baron’s Wars. He was succeeded by his son, Henry III. (O’Brien)

 

HENRY III


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of Henry III    HENRICUS. III. D. G. ANG. ET. HIB. REX.
Rev: Monument articulated by Corinthian pilasters. In the niches between the pilasters are the statues of Minerva as goddess of war (left) and the weeping figure of England (front). To the left of the monument is a mountain landscape and to the right are two spectators beside a tree. (Eisler)
Exergue:  NAT. 1206. COR. 1216. MORT. 1272.
The correct date of birth is 1207.
Ref: M.I. i, p.4; Eimer 27/8; Eisler I, 255/10; Thompson 24/08

Henry III (1207-1272) (King of England from 1216 to 1272) was the elder son and heir to John, who died when Henry was 9 years old. Although he gained the throne in 1216, Henry did not actually rule until 1227. His abuses of royal power conflicted with the Magna Carta, and this, coupled with the influence of foreigners on his administration, antagonized the nobles. He was forced to accept the Provisions of Oxford and Westminister, which gave more power to his councillors. However, he renounced the provisions in 1261, provoking the Barons’ War. The leader of the barons, Simon de Montfort, captured Henry at Lewes in 1264 and took control. However, Henry’s son, the future Edward I, defeated Montfort at the Battle of Evesham in 1265 and effectively ruled on his father’s behalf thereafter. (O’ Brien)

 

EDWARD I


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of Edward I, in armor with mantle, crowned   EDOUARD. I. D. G. ANG. ET. HIB. REX.
Rev: A circular temple articulated with Tuscan half-columns, surmounted by a cupola. In the niches are statues of Prudence at left, holding a mirror, Minerva in the center to indicate Edward’s wisdom and military genius, and Hercules at right, in allusion to the magnitude and variety of his successful enterprises. On the left of the monument is History recording the king’s deeds. At right are two figures in Roman dress admiring the monument.
Exergue: NAT. J230. COR. J272 MORT. J307.
Signed: J.D.
Ref: M.I. i, 5/2; Eimer 28/10; Eisler I, 256/11; Thompson 24/09

Edward I (1239-1307) (Edward Longshanks) was the son of Henry III. He reigned as King of England from 1272 to 1307, during a period of rising national consciousness. In 1254 he married Eleanor of Castile and in 1299 he married Margaret of France. His suppression of the Barons’ War led by Simon de Montfort, made him king in all but name. Edward joined the Ninth Crusade in 1270 and was crowned on his return. During the period of 1272 to 1284, he conquered Wales and incorporated it into England. In 1296 Edward invaded Scotland and captured the coronation stone from Scone. William Wallace and Robert I (The Bruce) led the Scottish resistance, ultimately foiling Edward’s attempt to subdue Scotland.

Edward’s foreign ambitions led to the formation of the Model Parliament. His domestic reforms are central to Britain’s legal and constitutional history: the Statutes of Westminster codified Common Law, earning him the name of the "English Justinian". He was succeeded by his son Edward II. (O’ Brien)

 

EDWARD II


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of Edward II    EDOUARD. II. D.G. ANG. ET. HIB. REX.
Rev: Sepulchral monument articulated with Doric pilasters. In the center is a bas-relief representing Gournay and Maltravers, in Roman attire, who are about to cover up the body of the monarch, whom they have just murdered in Berkeley Castle.
Exergue:  NAT. 1284. COR. 1307. MORT. 1327
Ref: M.I. i, p.5; Eimer 28/11; Eisler I, 256/2; Thompson 25/10

Edward II (Edward of Caernarvon) (1284-1327) was King of England from 1307 to 1327. The actual coronation took place in 1308, not in 1307 as is indicated on the medal. Edward II was the fourth son of King Edward I. He led an army into Scotland in 1314 but was decisively defeated by Robert I (The Bruce) at Bannockburn. Scotland’s independence was virtually secured, and Edward was put at the mercy of a group of barons headed by his cousin Thomas of Lancaster, who had made himself the real master of England. Edward then aligned himself with Hugh le Despenser and his son. In 1325 Edward’s estranged queen, Isabella, went as an envoy to France where she formed an army with her lover, Roger Mortimer, who together invaded England, executed the Despensers, and forced Edward to abdicate in favor of his son, Edward III. Edward II was imprisoned at Berkeley Castel and in 1327 died, presumably murdered by Gournay and John Maltravers, the event commemorated on the reverse of this medal. (Thompson)

 

EDWARD III


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of Edward III wearing a helmet decorated with a dragon, the device of Cadwallader.    EDOUARD. III. D.G. ANG. FR. ET HIB. REX.
Rev: Circular temple, with a statue of Mars, symbolic of the warlike nature of Edward. On the base are two cupids: one is holding a garter, an allusion to the establishment of the Order of the Garter, and the other, is holding an olive branch, an allusion to the King’s victorious career. On the base is inscribed:   NAT. J312. COR. J327. MORT. J377
Signed: J. D.
Ref: M.I. i, 9/8; Eimer 28/12; Thompson 25/11; Eisler I, 256/13a

Edward III (Edward of Windsor) 1312-1377) was king of England from 1327 to 1377. He was the eldest son of Edward II and Isabella of France. In 1328 Edward married Philippa. During the first three years of his reign, his mother, Isabella and Roger Mortimer wielded all the political power. In 1330 Edward mounted a successful coup and sought to remake England into the powerful nation it had been under Edward I. During the 1330s England gradually drifted into a state of hostility with France, thus starting the 100 years’ war. He led several campaigns in France, was present in person at the great naval battle off the Flemish city of Sluis in 1340, in which he all but destroyed the French navy and won a victory at Crecy in 1346, claiming the title of King of France. In 1356 Edward’s son, Edward the Black Prince, captured John II (The Good) of France at the Battle of Poitiers. During Edwards III’s reign, the Black Death brought heavy mortality to his country. Domestically, Parliament was divided into two Houses and was permanently located at Westminster. He spent much time and money in rebuilding Windsor Castle. He also instituted the Order of the Garter, which became Britain’s highest order of knighthood. In his old age, Edward’s sons, Edward the Black Prince, and John of Gaunt, took over the government. He was succeeded by his grandson, Richard II.

 

RICHARD II


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of Richard II    RICHARDVS. II. D.G. ANG. FR. ET. HIB. REX.
Rev: A sepulchral monument, on which are two infants, one holding a cypress, the other a skull and a dagger, in allusion to the King’s tragic death. The bas-relief on the base represents him in the dungeon of Pontefract Castle, with a crown, sword and scepter at his feet.
Exergue:  NAT. J366. COR. J377 MORT. J399.
Signed: I. D.
Ref: M.I. i, 10/2; Eimer 28/13; Thompson 25/12; Eisler I, 257/14

Richard II (1367-1400), King of England (1377-1399), was the son of Edward the Black Prince. Richard succeeded his grandfather, Edward III, at the age of 10. His minority was dominated by his uncle, John of Gaunt. Gaunt’s misrule exacerbated the economic decline caused by the Black Death and England’s prolonged involvement in the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453), and precipitated the Peasant’s Revolt (1381). In 1382 Richard was married to Princess Anne of Bohemia, the daughter of Emperor Charles IV. Upon the death of John of Gaunt, Richard confiscated the vast Lancastrian estates which had passed to Henry of Bolingbroke (later made Duke of Herford). In 1399 he made the disastrous mistake of leaving for Ireland, for in his absence Bolingbroke invaded England and rallied the nobility around himself. On his return from Ireland, Richard surrendered to Bolingbroke without a fight. He abdicated in 1399 in favor of Bolingbroke, who ascended the throne as King Henry IV. Later that year Richard was imprisoned in Pontefract Castle, where he died within a few months, likely from the rigors of his imprisonment, rather than by murder as alleged in the story adopted by Shakespeare. (Taken, in part, from Thompson)

 

HENRY IV


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of Henry IV (l) wearing embroidered robe and veil with Lancastrian rose    HENRICUS. IV. D.G. ANG. FR. ET. HIB. REX.
Rev: Tomb surmounted by reclining figure of Death holding a scythe in one hand and an ax in the other, surrounded by military trophies. Below the tomb is a bas-relief representing at left Prince John of Lancaster ordering his officers to suppress the rebellion of Scrope, Archbishop of York, and Mowbry, Earl Marshal. The crushing of the rebel forces is depicted at right. (From Eisler)
On base:  NATUS J366 CORONAT. J399 MORT. J413
Signed:  I.D.
Ref: M.I. i, 12/6; Eimer 28/15; Thompson 26/13; Eisler I, 257/15

Henry IV (Henry Bolingbroke) (1367-1413), King of England (1399-1413), the son of John of Gaunt, was born in Bolingbroke Castle, Lincolnshire, the first of three 15th -century monarchs from the House of Lancaster, by his first wife, Blanche. As Henry Bollingbroke he was exiled in 1399 by Richard II, thus being deprived of the vast Lancastrian estates left to him by his father. He returned and overthrew Richard, claiming both the estates and the crown for himself. As a usurper, Henry was in a weak position and was forced to make concessions to the church, parliament and the nobility. Nevertheless, he successfully consolidated his power in the face of repeated uprisings of powerful nobles. Sir Henry Percy, called Hotspur, staged a brief uprising which ended when the King’s forces killed the rebel in battle near Shrewsbury, Shropshire in 1403. In 1405 Henry had Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk and Richard Scrope, Archbishop of York, executed for conspiring with Northumberland to raise another rebellion. Henry made an alliance with the French faction that was waging war against his son’s Burgundian friends. As a consequence, tension between Henry and his son, the Prince, was high. At his death, Henry was succeeded by his son, who took the title of Henry V. (taken, in part, from Thompson)

 

HENRY V


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze,  41 mm
Obv: Bust of Henry V    HENRICUS. V. D.G. ANG. FR. ET. HIB. REX.
Rev: Henry, amid captured arms, is reclining on monument in form of a sarcophagus. Fame is crowning him and sounding his praises. A scull between palm and laurel branches decorates the side.   NATUS 1388 CORONAT. 1413 MORT. 1422.
Ref: M.I. i, 12/6; Eimer 28/16; Eisler I, 257/16a; Thompson 26/14

Henry V (1387-1422), King of England (1413-1422), was the eldest son of Henry, Earl of Derby (later Henry IV) and Mary de Bohun. On his father’s exile in 1398, Richard II took the boy into his own charge, treated him kindly, and knighted him in 1399. As prince, he gained useful military experience during campaigns against Owain Glyn Dwr. On his accession, Henry crushed a Lollard rebellion. He renewed English claims against France in the Hundred Yar’s War and won a decisive victory over Charles VI of France at Agincourt in 1415, making England one of the strongest kingdoms in Europe. Further conquests in Burgundy resulted in the Treaty of Troyes, when Charles VI recognized Henry as his heir. The following month Henry married Catherine of Valois, daughter of Charles VI, King of France. However, he did not live to enjoy his triumph for long, dying of fever in 1422. (Taken, in part, from Thompson and O’Brien)

 

HENRY VI


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of Henry VI    HENRICUS. VI. D.G. ANG. FR. ET. HIB. REX.
Exergue:  NAT. 1421. COR. 1422. MORT. 1471.
Rev: Statue of Time in niche of a temple holding a crown in one hand and manacles in the other, an allusion to the throne and prison he alternately occupied.
Signed: J.D.
Ref: M.I. i, 16/6; Eimer 28/17; Eisler I, 258/17; Thompson 27/15

Henry VI (1421-1471), King of England (1422-1461, 1470-1471) succeeded his father Henry V in 1422, and on the death of his maternal grandfather, the French King Charles VI, he was proclaimed King of France in accordance with the terms of a treaty made after Henry V’s French victories. Henry lost most of his French territories later in his reign. In 1445 Henry married Margaret of Anjou, a niece of the French queen. Henry had a period of insanity from 1453-1454, during which Richard, Duke of York was Lord Protector, but Richard’s hopes of ultimately succeeding Henry were shattered by the birth of Edward, Prince of Wales. In 1455 Richard defeated Henry’s forces at St. Albans, the first battle in the Wars of the Roses between the houses of Lancaster and York. Although Richard was killed at the Battle of Wakefield in 1460, Henry was deposed in 1461 by the Yorkists, who proclaimed Edward IV as king. Henry went into exile in Scotland but returned in 1464 to once again lead the Lancastrians, though in defeat. Imprisoned between 1465 and 1470, he was restored to the throne in 1470 by Richard Neville, Duke of Warwick. The death of Prince Edward in the battle of Tewkesbury, however, sealed Henry’s fate, and he was murdered in the Tower of London soon afterwards. (taken, in part, from Thompson and O’Brien).

 

EDWARD IV


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of Edward IV    EDOUARD. IV. D.G. ANG. FR. ET. HIB. REX.
Rev: On monument, a figure of Fortune between a dismasted ship and another ship sailing before a gale, in allusion to the vicissitudes of the king’s career.
Exergue:  NAT. 1441. COR. 20. IUN. 1461. MORT. 9. APRIL. 1483.
Signed: I.D. F.
Ref: M.I. i, 18/4; Eimer 29/20; Eisler I, 258/18; Thompson 27/16;  Pollard II, 850/904

Edward IV (1442-1483), King of England (1461–1470, 1471-1483), was the son of Richard, Duke of York, and Cicely, daughter of Ralph Neville, Earl of Westmoreland. Edward was a leading participant of the Yorkist-Lancastrian conflict know as the War of the Roses. He was crowned King of England in1461 after the defeat of the Lancastrians. However, when the Earl of Warwick changed sides, Edward was forced into exile, but returned to defeat Warwick at the Battle of Barnet in 1471, regaining the crown until his death in 1483. Edward died leaving two sons, "the princes of the Tower," but the throne was usurped by his brother, Richard III.

The coronation was on the 29th, not the 20th of June as stated in the exergue of the medal.

 

EDWARD V


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of Edward V    EDOUARD. V. D.G. ANG. FR. HIB. REX.
Rev: Monument decorated on top with two cherubs embracing, an allusion to the affection of the King and his brother. In front within a circle is depicted the scene of the murder of the two young princes. Below is inscribed:  NAT. 8. OCTOB. 1470. MORT 1483.
Signed: I. DASSIER F.
Ref: M.I. i, 18; Eimer 29/21; Thompson 28/17; Eisler I, 258/19a

Edward V (1470-1483) was the son of King Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. Upon the death of Edward IV in 1483, the 12-year-old Edward became king and his uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was made protector of the realm. The Duke placed Edward and his younger brother, Richard, in the Tower of London, taking the throne for himself as Richard III. The disappearance of the two princes is generally attributed to Richard, although some suspect Henry VII to have been involved in their deaths. In either case, Edward V was King of England for just 77 days. The reverse of this medal depicts the scene of the murder of the two princes.

 

RICHARD III


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of Richard III    RICHARDVS III. D.G. ANG. FR. ET. HIB. REX.
Rev: On sarcophagus, Fury holding crown and dagger, the object of Richard’s ambition and the means of obtaining it, near the two slain princes. On monument, a representation of the Battle of Bosworth Field.
Exergue:  CORONAT. 6. IVL. 1483. MORT. 22 AVG. 1485.
Ref: M.I. i, 19; Eimer 29/22; Eisler I, 259/20; Thompson 28/18

Richard III (1452-1485), also called Richard Plantagenet, was Duke of Gloucester from 1461-1483 and King of England from 1483-1485. He was the youngest son of Richard, Duke of York. He was made Duke of Gloucester after his eldest brother, Edward of York, deposed the Lancastrian monarch Henry VI and assumed the throne as Edward IV. In 1470 Richard and Edward were forced into exile by the Earl of Warwick, who reinstated Henry VI. Richard returned to England, defeating Henry’s forces. Henry was imprisoned and then murdered in the Tower of London, likely with the complicity of Richard, thus securing Edward’s restoration. When Edward died, Richard became protector of the realm for his 12-year nephew Edward V and gained custody of Edward V and Edward’s younger brother. Both of these brothers were subsequently declared illegitimate and ineligible as heirs to the crown. The two princes, Edward V and his younger brother, Richard of York (shown on the reverse of this medal), were imprisoned in the Tower of London, never to again emerge alive, and Richard of Gloucester was crowned Richard III.

In the decisive War of the Roses at the Battle of Bosworth Field (alluded to on the reverse of this medal), pitting the Yorkist Richard against the Lancastrian Henry Tudor (later Henry VII), Richard was killed, making him the last of the Yorkist kings and ushering in the era of the Tudors and, because of the cessation of the War of the Roses, a more stable England.

Richard III has been portrayed by historians and in the literature, notably by Shakespeare, as a monster of unparalleled villainy, although many maintain that his ignominy has been exaggerated.

 

HENRY VII


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of Henry VII wearing a fur-lined robe and cap decorated with jewels.    HENRICUS. VII. D.G. ANG. FR. ET. HIB. REX.
Rev: Monument flanked by volutes and surmounted by a curving pediment. The latter is decorated with two united roses, symbolizing the union of the Houses of York and Lancaster. In the center is a bas-relief representing the king as Hercules seated at right and attended by Justice, Prudence and Abundance.
Exergue:  NAT. 1457. COR. 30. OCT. 1485. M. 22. APRIL 1509.
Ref: M.I. i, 23/6; Eimer 29/25; Thompson 28/19; Eisler I, 259/21

Henry VII (Henry Tudor) (1457-1509), King of England (1485-1509), was the founder of the Tudor dynasty, being the son of Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond, and Margaret Beaufort. His claim to the throne was weak until he became, with the death of Henry VI in 1471, the main surviving male in the House of Lancaster. He then went to France, where the Yorkists made several attempts on his life before he landed with an army on the English coast in 1485. He became king by defeating Richard III in the final battle of the Wars of the Roses at Bosworth Field. He then united the houses of Lancaster and York by marrying the Yorkist heiress, Elizabeth. His financial acumen and encouragement of trade through commercial treaties restored England’s fortunes after the devastation of civil war. He also established peaceful relations with France and with Scotland. In 1501 he forged an alliance between England and Spain by marrying his son Arthur to Catherine of Aragon. He took effective action against pretenders to his throne, notably Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck, who claimed to be the young Yorkist princes, Edward of Warwick and Richard of York, last seen in the Tower. When he died there was no opposition to the succession of his son, Henry VIII, who also inherited the fortune Henry had created. (From O’Brien)

 

HENRY VIII


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of Henry VIII    HENRICUS. VIII. D.G. ANG. FR. ET. HIB. REX.
Rev: A square monument surmounted by a mask between two volutes and articulated by fluted pilasters. At the front is a bas-relief depicting the king as Hercules, club in hand, within a temple destroying the Papal tiara and keys which have been placed on an alter. Behind is a fire of faggots, emblematic of the fate of Roman Catholics and to which Henry consigned those who refused to acknowledge his supremacy. At the foot of the monument is Hymen holding one torch still burning, symbolizing the one marriage undissolved at the death of Henry, while five extinguished torches at his feet represent Henry’s previous marriages.
Exergue:  NAT. 1491. COR. 24 IUN. 1509. MORT. 28 IAN. 1547.
Signed: I.D.
Ref: M.I. i, 52/54; Eimer 29/27; Eisler I, 259/22; Thompson 29/20

Henry VIII (1491-1547), King of England (1509-1547), was the second son of Henry VII and Elizabeth, daughter of Edward IV. He became heir on the death of his elder brother, Arthur, and married Arthur’s widow, Catherine of Aragon, soon after his accession. His aggressive foreign policy, administered by his lord chancellor Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, depleted the royal treasury. Wolsey’s ill-timed decision to abandon an alliance with Charles V, just prior to the latter’s defeat of Francis I at the Battle of Pavia , led to his downfall. He was replaced by Thomas More. Henry now urgently sought a divorce from Catherine of Aragon, with whom he had so far failed to produce a male heir. Pope Clement VII’s refusal to grant the divorce resulted in Henry presiding over the first stages of the English Reformation with the support of Thomas Cromwell. The English church separated from Rome and in 1533 Henry divorced Catherine and married Anne Boleyn, mother of the future Elizabeth I. In 1535 Anne was executed for adultery. Thomas More was also executed for refusing to accept Henry as supreme head of the Church of England. Henry, who had been rewarded with the title of Defender of the Faith by the pope for his criticism of Martin Luther, was however resistant to the introduction of Protestantism. Henry then married Jane Seymour, who died shortly after the birth of the future Edward VI. His next marriage, to Anne of Cleves, ended in divorce. Shortly after, he married Catherine Howard, who was executed in 1542, and finally Catherine Parr, who survived him. (From O’Brien)

Henry VIII is a major figure in English history, not so much for his having had six wives, but rather for the fact that during his reign Henry presided over the beginnings of the English Renaissance and the English Reformation. He is particularly remembered for his break with Rome and the dissolution of the monasteries.

 

EDWARD VI


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of Edward VI wearing a cloak lined with ermine, embroidered doublet, and hat with feather.   EDOUARD. VI. D.G. ANG. FR. ET. HIB. REX.
Rev: Tomb monument flanked by volutes decorated with festoons of roses. In the center is a square bas-relief showing the king as an infant Hercules strangling a dragon, symbolizing the papacy, in imitation of the fable of Hercules strangling the serpent.
Exergue:  NAT. 12 OCTOB. 1537. COR. 20. FEBR. 1547. M.6 IUL. 1553.
Ref: M.I. i, 62/20; Eimer 30/30; Thompson 29/21; Eisler I, 260/23

Edward VI (1537-1553), King of England and Ireland (1547-1553), was the only legitimate son of Henry VIII. His mother Jane Seymour, Henry’s third wife, died 12 days after his birth. Henry had decreed that during Edward’s minority the government was to be run by a council of regency. In fact, he reigned under two regencies: Edward’s uncle, Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset (1547-1549), who wielded almost supreme power as regent, and the Duke of Northumberland (1549-1553). A devout Protestant, Edward endorsed Archbishop Thomas Cramer’s revision of the Book of Common Prayer. Clever but frail, Edward died of tuberculosis at the age of sixteen years after willing the crown to Northumberland’s daughter-in–law, Lady Jane Gray, to exclude his catholic sister, Mary I (who, in fact, did succeed him). He did not marry and had no issue. (Taken, in part, from Thompson)

 

MARY I TUDOR


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of Mary I    MARIA. I. D.G. ANG. FR. ET. HIB. REX.
Rev: Religion (Popery) with Papal tiara and cross seated before a monument; at the sides are a fire for burning heretics, and a column on which is hung a medallion with a portrait of Pope Paul IV surrounded by arms and implements of torture.
Exergue:  NATA. 18 FEBR. 1516. COR. 1. OCTOB. 1553. MORT. 17.NOV 1558.
Ref: M.I. i, , 89/59; Eimer 31/38; Eisler I, 260/24; Thompson 30/22

Mary I, also called Mary Tudor or Bloody Mary, was the daughter of King Henry VIII and the Spanish Princess Catherine of Aragon. She was the first queen to rule England in her own right. She married Philip II of Spain, the son of the emperor Charles V. She was known as Bloody Mary for her persecution of Protestants in a vain attempt to restore Roman Catholicism in England.

 

ELIZABETH I


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of Elizabeth   ELISABETH D.G. ANG. FR. ET. HIB. REGINA.
Rev: Monument with a triangular pediment into which the Eye of God (Providence) has been inserted. The bas relief depicts the destruction of the Armada, with lightning bolts destroying the Spanish vessels. This is flanked on the left by Religion holding a bible and a lighted candle, symbolizing the Reformation, and on the right by Minerva holding a rudder and palm branch, symbolizing the learning, wisdom and prudence of Elizabeth. (Eisler)
Exergue:  NATA. 7. SEPT. 1533. COR. 15. IAN. 1559. M. 24 MART. 1602.
Signed: I.D.
Ref: M.I. i,185/193; Eimer 35/79; Eisler, 261/25; Thompson 30/23

Elisabeth I (1533-1603), Queen of England (1558-1603), was the daughter of the Tudor king Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn. During the reigns of her half-brother Edward VI and half-sister Mary I, she avoided political disputes, but once crowned she reestablished Protestantism and became the supreme governor of the church. As a result, in 1570, Pope Pius V excommunicated Elisabeth and absolved her subjects from any oath of allegiance that they might have taken to her. Various plots to murder Elizabeth and place her cousin, the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, on the throne resulted in Mary’s imprisonment and execution in 1587 at Fotheringhay Castle and the initiation of repressive legislation against Catholics. For most of her reign England was at peace, and commerce and industry prospered. Elizabethan drama reflected this ‘golden age". The expansion of the navy laid the foundations for the development of the first British Empire and the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. Despite pressure to marry and produce an heir, Elizabeth remained a spinster. Her favorites included Robert Dudley, Early of Leicester, and Robert Devereux. 2nd Earl of Essex, who was later executed for leading a rebellion against her. Elizabeth was the last of the Tudor line, and the throne passed to James I, a Stuart. (O’Brien)

The source of the image of Elizabeth on the obverse of this medal has been variously attributed to a miniature by Isaac Oliver (M.I.) or to the engraving by George Vertue (Eisler).

 

JAMES I


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of James I    IACOBUS. I. D.G. M. BR. FR. ET. HIB. REX.
Rev: Tomb with two Genii, one of whom adds the Scottish Lion to the arms, alluding to the union of the two kingdoms, the other points to a book, alluding to the king’s fame as an author.
Exergue:  NAT. 19. IUN. 1556. CORON. 25. IUL 1603. MORT. 27 MART. 1625.
Ref: M.I. i, 237/104; Eimer 37/104; Eisler I, 262/26; Thompson 31/24

James I (1566-1625) was King of England from 1603 to 1625 and, as James VI, was King of Scotland from 1567 to 1625. He was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, and Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley. James acceded to the Scottish throne as an infant on his mother's abdication. In 1589, James married Anne of Denmark, daughter of Frederick II of Denmark. In 1603, on the death of Elizabeth I, the last of the Tudor monarchs, James inherited the English throne, becoming the first of the Stuart Dynasty. In 1605, a conspiracy to blow up King James and the Parliament in response to the anti-Roman Catholic laws was instigated. This so-called Gunpowder Plot was foiled and James cracked down heavily on Catholics. James had a high opinion of his own wisdom and believed that kings were divinely ordained to rule. His insistence on the divine right of kings brought him into conflict with his Parliaments, causing him to dissolve Parliament and rule without one. James is remembered for the establishment of the first English colony in America (Jamestown) and for sponsoring the Authorized, or King James' Version of the Bible, which was published in 1611. He was succeeded by his son Charles I.

 

CHARLES I


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of Charles I    CAROLUS. I. D.G. M. BR. FR. ET. HIB. REX.
Rev: Britannia, seated on monument weeping, raises a pall revealing the amputated head of the king. On one side is an ax and on the other side a rose fallen from its stem.
Exergue:  NAT. 13 NOV. 1600. COR. 2. FEBR. 1626. M. IANV. 1649.
Signed:  I.D. F.
Charles was born Nov. 19, 1600.
Ref: M.I. i, 353/212; Eimer 43/164; Eisler I, 262/27; Thompson 31/25

Charles I (1600-1649) was the second surviving son of James VI of Scotland (later James I King of England) and Anne of Denmark. He was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1625 to 1649. His marriage in 1625 to Henrietta Maria, sister of Louis XIII of France, raised fears of a Catholic succession to the throne among Puritan leaders in Parliament. Many subsequent disagreements with Parliament led to Charles’ insistence on the "divine right of kings", and he adjourned Parliament, ruling without it for the next 11 years. Attempts to impose Anglican liturgy on Scotland led to the Bishops’ Wars. Charles was obliged to recall Parliament to raise revenue for the war, but they refused to grant funds. As a result Parliament was again dissolved. Charles was once more compelled to recall Parliament following further defeats in Scotland. This Parliament insisted on imposing numerous conditions and grievances against the king. Charles refused to relinquish control of the army, and his attempt to arrest five leading opponents in the Commons precipitated the English Civil War. After suffering a succession of defeats by the army led by Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell, Charles surrendered and was taken prisoner. In 1647 Charles reached a secret agreement with the Scots, promising to accept Presbyterianism in return for military support against Parliament. The second phase of the Civil War ended with Scottish defeat. In 1649 Charles was tried for treason and was beheaded as a tyrant and public enemy to his people. The sentence was carried out on a scaffold erected outside the Banqueting Hall of Whitehall.

 

OLIVER CROMWELL


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 38 mm
Obv: Bust of Cromwell    OLIVERIUS CROMWELL
Rev: Tomb decorated with the arms of Cromwell and four infant Genii: one points to his titles, a second holds a mirror indicating Prudence, and is weeping over his death typified by a skull, another represents his success by a laurel wreath and unanimity of the kingdom by a bundle of wands bond together, and a fourth, in the character of Hercules, symbolized his power by the club and the fruit of his labors by three apples, i.e., the three kingdoms.  ANGLIAE, SCO. ET HIB. PROTECTOR.
Signed: I. DASSIER. F.
Exergue: NAT. 3. APRIL. 1603. MORT. 3. SEPT. 1658.
Cromwell was born in 1599.
Ref: M.I. i, 435/87; Eimer 47/203; Eisler I, 265/35; Thompson 31/26

Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), the only son of Robert Cromwell and Elizabeth Steward, was born into a landed, though by no means very wealthy, family. He studied at the recently founded University of Cambridge where he developed a strong Puritan ideology. In 1628 Cromwell entered Parliament during a period in which there were serious antagonisms between King Charles I (the second of a line of Stuart kings, the first being James Stuart) and the members of parliament. Despite these disputes between the monarch and Parliament, Cromwell initially supported a settlement with Charles I, although this settlement required the crown to accept Cromwell's political allies as the king's ministers and guarantee religious liberty to Protestants. This brought Cromwell into conflict with those who wanted a more democratic form of government and with those who advocated replacing the old Church of England with a new Presbyterian church base on the teachings of John Calvin. Because of the duplicity of the king, however, Cromwell began to support actions against Charles.

Besides being the leader of the rebels in parliament, Cromwell became an outstanding military leader against the crown. The Civil War which erupted pitted the Crown (The Cavaliers) against the rebels in Parliament (the Roundheads), ultimately leading to a parliamentary victory for Oliver Cromwell and to the beheading of Charles I in 1649. Charles I was succeeded on the throne by his eldest surviving son Charles II, but like his father, Charles II was roundly defeated militarily and was forced into exile.

In 1653 a Protectorate was established with Oliver Cromwell given the title of Lord Protector of England Scotland and Ireland in the newly formed Commonwealth, becoming the first commoner to rule England. Cromwell's rule was that of a virtual military dictator although he resisted the temptation to take the title of King. He was rather inept politically, and with the Dutch Wars and the war against Spain financially weakening the government, parliament became increasingly disillusioned with the Commonwealth. His policy was both anti-Stuart and pro-Protestant, his most notable achievement being his championing a degree of unprecedented religious freedom. This religious freedom should be viewed as relative, however, because while Quakers, Catholics and Jews were now allowed to worship as they wished, they were still subject to regulation, and worship had to be done privately. Further there was still a recognized State Church under Cromwell. Indeed, unlike the policies that existed before 1649 and from 1660 (after the Restoration) until the nineteenth century, it was only during this brief period from 1649-1660 that membership in the State Church was not a qualification for entry into universities, the professions and public office. (Although in the intervening periods, anti-discriminatory laws were enacted from time to time, Jews still weren't permitted to enter the British Parliament until the late 1800s).

Oliver Cromwell died in 1658, and although he was succeeded for a brief period as Lord Protector of England by his son Richard Cromwell, a further series of mismanagements of government opened the way in 1660 for parliament to invite the exiled Charles II back to the throne, ushering in the Restoration and, thereby, ending the period in which a commoner ruled England.

 

CHARLES II


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of Charles II    CAROLUS. II. D. G. M. BR. FR. ET. HIB. REX.
Rev: Mercury seated, inscribing a legend on the facade of a tomb, his foot resting upon a skull. On the base of the tomb is a bas-relief of cupid presenting a wreath to Venus.   NAT. 29. MAI. 1630. C. 23. APR. 1661. M. 16. FEBR. 1685.
Signed: I. DASSIER. F.
Ref: M.I. i, 602/291; Eimer 54/271; Eisler I, 263/28; Thompson 32/27

Charles II (1630-1685), born Charles Stuart, king of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1660-1685) was the second, but eldest surviving, son of King Charles I. He held a nominal military command in the early campaigns of the first civil war of the English Revolution but later fled from England and went into exile at The Hague, the Netherlands. On the execution of Charles I in 1649, Charles II assumed the title of king. Soon thereafter he invaded England but his army was routed by Oliver Cromwell and Charles fled to France.

In 1658, following the death of Cromwell, the demand for the restoration of royalty increased. In 1660, his army invaded London and forced the Parliament to dissolve. In the Declaration of Breda, Charles announced his intention to accept a parliamentary government and to grant amnesty to his political opponents. A new Parliament requested Charles to return and proclaimed him king on May 8, 1660.

Charles’ reign marked a period of relative stability after the upheaval of the English Revolution. Nevertheless, the chronic mismanagement of the English finances forced him into a secret alliance with Louis XIV of France in a war against the Netherlands. This, together with his efforts to become an absolute ruler, brought Charles into conflict with Parliament. The struggle was heightened by enactment of the anti-Catholic Test Acts and by the so-called popish plot fabricated by Titus Oates. Charles died on February 6, 1685. He was succeeded by his brother James II. (Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2002).

 

JAMES II


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze,  41 mm
Obv: Bust of James II (l)    IACOBUS. II .D.G. MAG. BR. FR. ET. HIB. REX
Rev: Tomb, upon which is seated the mourning figure of Religion, holding a chalice with a host, amid various ornaments of Roman Catholicism; a cross, crucifix, and a Papal tiara with the keys of St. Peter.   NAT. 13 OCT. 1633 CORONAT. 23 APR 1685 MORT. 5 SEPT. 1701
Signed:  I.D.F. / I.DASSIER. F
Ref: M.I. ii, 215/537; Eimer 65/384; Eisler I, 263/29a; Thompson 32/28

 

James II (1633 - 1701), Duke of York (1634-1685), and King of England, Scotland and Ireland (1685-1688), was the third son to Charles I and Henrietta Maria. During the Civil War he fled to France but returned to England and became king after the death of his older brother Charles II, who had been restored to the throne after Cromwell's Commonwealth collapsed. Unlike his brother, James maintained a strong adherence to the Roman Catholic faith. He married a Roman Catholic princess, Mary of Modena, and tried to convert England to Catholicism. His zealous piety and his determination to impress Catholicism on his subjects was to prove his nemesis.

Within days of James' accession, Protestants began rallying around Charles' son, James, Duke of Monmouth, whom they believed should be king. The rebellion was easily quashed and Monmouth was beheaded. Continuing his religious campaign, James had Catholics promoted to high-status positions while he appointed the 'Bloody Assizes' to execute, torture or enslave Protestant rebels. The Declaration of Indulgence (1687) granted tolerance of Catholics and non-conformists. In response, both Tories and Whigs turned against the king.

On the birth of his son, James was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the Protestant Parliament having allied themselves with James' Protestant daughter Mary (Mary was the daughter of James’ first wife Anne Hyde, a Protestant who raised her daughter in the same faith), and her husband William of Orange, who eventually took the throne of England as William and Mary. That revolution, engendered by James’ Roman Catholicism, permanently established Parliament as the ruling power of England. James died an exile in Saint-Germain, the last Stuart monarch in the direct male line (Queen Anne being the last Stuart monarch). (From www.bbc.co.uk)

 

MARY II


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze,  41 mm
Obv: Bust of Mary II    MARIA. II. D. G. MAG. BR. FR. ET. HIB. REGINA.
Rev: Beneath a canopy is a funerary monument, surmounted by a flaming urn decorated with a cherub’s head. Below is a tomb with bas-relief of Religion, seated with a candle, and Hymen, with an extinguished torch, lamenting the loss of Mary, while an infant Fame, seated upon a globe, proclaims her merits.
Exergue:  NATA. 10. FEBR. 1662. COR. II. APR. 1689. MORT. 29. DEC. 1694.
Signed:  I.D.
Ref: M.I. i, 123/368; Eimer 63/364; Eisler I, 263/30; Thompson 33/29

Mary II (1662-1694) Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland (1689-1694), was the eldest daughter of James II. Despite her father’s Catholicism, Mary was brought up a Protestant. In 1677 she married her cousin, Prince William of Orange, Stadholder of Holland and champion of Protestantism in Europe. During the Glorious Revolution, she and her husband were invited to assume the English throne as joint monarchs. In practice, William III ruled, but Mary was a competent regent during his absences. (From O’Brien).

 

WILLIAM III


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of William III    GULIELMUS. III. D. G. M. BR. FR. ET HIB. REX.
Rev: Pedestal decorated with a crown between two branches of palm. On top is a statue of Eternity seated on a celestial globe. In one hand she holds up a circle of stars and in the other a trumpet, to which is attached a ribbon with the legend AETERNITAS. On her left is Britannia seated amid piles of captured arms and standards, looking up towards Eternity. On her right is Hercules reposing upon the body of the slaughtered Hydra.
Exergue:  NAT. 4. NOV. 1650. CORONAT. II. APR. 1689. MORT. 8. MART. 1702.
Signed: I.D.
Ref: M.I. i, 225/554; Eimer 65/387; Eisler I, 264/31; Thompson 33/30

William III (1650-1702), King of England Scotland and Ireland (1689-1702) was the son of William II, Prince of Orange and Mary, daughter of Charles I. Royal authority was limited during William's minority, but the crisis engendered by a combined French and English assault on the United Provinces of the Netherlands led to his appointment as Stadholder of the Netherlands and captain general in 1672. With aid from Emperor Leopold I, William expelled the French. In 1677 he married Mary (later Mary II), daughter of James II of England. Following the Glorious Revolution in 1688, he and Mary, both strong Protestants, replaced the Catholic James, finally defeating him in Ireland at the Battle of the Boyne. William and Mary ruled jointly until her death in 1694. During their reign they accepted a Bill of Rights curbing royal power and restricting succession of the throne to Protestants. In 1699, William organized the alliance that was to defeat Louis XIV of France in the War of the Spanish Succession. He was succeeded to the throne by Anne. (from Encyclopedia of World History)

 

ANNE


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of Anne    ANNA D.G. M. BR. FR. ET HIB. REGINA.
Rev: A sarcophagus, upon which an obelisk has been erected. At left, Fame blowing her trumpet, draws open a curtain to reveal a bust of Prince George. At right a putto points to the portrait. On the lid of the sarcophagus is Victory seated on the barrel of a cannon amidst a pile of captured standards, cannons and cannon balls. She is depicted in the act of recording the deeds of the reign upon a shield.
Exergue:  NATA. 6. FEBR. 1665. CORONAT. 23. APR. 1702. MORT. 1. AVG. 1714.
Signed: I.D.
Ref: M.I. ii, 417/292; Eimer 72/462; Eisler I, 264/32; Thompson 33/31

Anne (1665-1727) Queen of Great Britain and Ireland(1702-1714), was the second daughter of James, Duke of York (King James II, 1685-1688), and Anne Hyde. Although her father was a Roman Catholic, she was reared a Protestant at the insistence of her uncle, King Charles II. In 1683 Anne was married to Prince George of Denmark. Succeeding William III, Anne was the last Stuart sovereign and, after the Act of Union (1707), the first monarch of the United Kingdom of England and Scotland. As the last Stuart monarch, she wished to rule independently, but her intellectual limitations and chronic ill health caused her to rely heavily on her ministers, who directed England’s efforts against France and Spain in the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714). This war dominated her reign and is often called Queen Anne’s War. Anne was the last English monarch to exercise the royal veto over legislation, but the rise of parliamentary government was inexorable. The Jacobite cause was crushed when Anne was succeeded by George I. Her reign is notable for the vibrancy that party conflicts between Whigs and Tories instilled in contemporary arts and culture (from O’Brien and Thompson)

 

GEORGE I


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of George I    GEORGIUS. I. D. G. MAG. BR. FR. ET. HIB. REX.
Rev: Tomb, on one side of which is Justice, holding her sword in her right hand and resting her left arm on a book. At right is Peace holding an oak cluster.  NAT. 18. MAI. 1660. CORONAT. 21. OCT. 1714. M. 12 IUN. 1727
Signed:  I.D.
Ref: M.I. i, 475/94; Eimer 77/508; Eisler I, 264/33; Thompson 34/32

George Louis, George I (1660-1727), King of Great Britain and Ireland (1714-1727) and Elector of Hanover (1698-1727), was the first of the Hanoverian kings, succeeding Queen Anne and ending the Stuart line to the throne. Although a German, who could speak little English, he succeeded to the throne as a result of the Act of Settlement which excluded Catholics from ascending to the monarchy. George was chosen over James Stuart (the Elder Pretender), the son of James II, as James Stuart was Catholic and George was the next Protestant in line to the throne. This succession was somewhat circuitous: in Germany, George was heir through his father, Ernest Augustus, to the hereditary lay bishopric of Osnabruck, and to the duchy of Calenberg, which formed one portion of the Hanoverian possessions of the house of Brunswick. George I, the great-grandson of James I, inherited the British crown through his mother Sophia, a protestant granddaughter of James I of England. George I was succeeded by George II, George III, George IV and Queen Victoria, the last Hanoverian monarch.

Politically, George favored the Whigs over the Tories, suspecting the latter of Jacobite sympathies. He put down Jacobite rebellions in1715 and 1719. Not being able to speak English well, George preferred his native Hanover and took little interest in domestic affairs. He allowed power to pass to Parliament and ministers such as Robert Walpole and Charles Townshend. When the financial speculation known as the South Sea Bubble burst in 1720, George’s political reputation was saved by Walpole, who demanded in return a freer reign on government. George was succeeded by his son, George II. (From O’Brien)

 

QUEEN CAROLINE


DASSIER, Jean: England, 1731, Bronze, 41 mm
Obv: Bust of Caroline    CAROLINA. D. G. MAG. BR. FR. ET. HIB. REG.
Rev: Charity seated with four children alluding to the character of the queen, who is said to have spent a substantial portion of her income on charitable purposes.  DILECTA DEO ET HOMINIBUS (Beloved of God and Man)
Signed: J. DASSIER / I.D.
Ref: M.I. i, 499/44; Eimer 78/524; Eisler I, 252/2; Thompson 34/33

Caroline of Ansbach (Wilhelmina Caroline) (1683-1737), wife of George II, king of Great Britain and Ireland, was the daughter of John Frederick, margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach. She married George Augustus, electoral prince of Hanover in 1705. In 1714, when her father-in-law became King George I, Caroline came with her husband to London where her popularity and tact helped ease the situation caused by the quarrel between the prince of Wales and his father. On the death of George I in 1727, George and Caroline, his queen, were crowned. Caroline had a significant positive effect on the monarchy. Queen Caroline's influence kept Sir Robert Walpole in power, and her religious tolerance resulted in the appointment of bishops noted more for their learning than for their orthodoxy.

Series of Medals Illustrating  Roman History

These were engraved by J. Dassier in conjunction with his son.

 

 

OTHER DASSIER MEDALS

 

 

The Ultimate reference to Dassier medals is the Benjamin Weiss Collection

(Thank for all your help!)