Charles IV (1322-1328). Gold Agnel d'or, undated. Lamb and cruciform staff with flying banner. Rev. Floriated cross in quadrilobe (Fr-263). In NGC holder graded MS 63, sharply struck mint state example. Rare. Value $5,000 - UP
Charles IV, the last Capetian King of France, was nicknamed le Bel ("the Handsome") by his contemporaries. Much of his reign was taken up with revolts in Flanders (1323-1326) and conflict with Edward II of England over his French possessions. A crushing victory for Charles IV in the War of Saint-Sardos (1324) allowed him to occupy most of Edward's French lands. Like his father and many of his royal predecessors, in 1326, Charles IV began preparations to embark upon a Crusade largely aimed at capitalizing on the distress of the embattled Byzantine Empire. However, he was prevented from fulfilling his (self-serving) Crusader's vow by his unexpected death in 1328. Dying without a direct male heir created the dangerous situation in which both his nephew Edward III of England and his cousin Philippe of Valois claimed the right to the throne, thereby ushering in the bloody period of the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453).
Ex Terner Collection by Private Treaty.