Money and coinage in the French lands of Henry Plantagenet, c.1150-1189

Stinson, Eleanor Kathleen Rose (2024) Money and coinage in the French lands of Henry Plantagenet, c.1150-1189. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

Henry Plantagenet, Duke of the Normans, Aquitanians and Count of the Angevins is more often remembered as Henry II, King of England, lauded for his English monetary reforms. Henry’s French coinage is generally overlooked, especially by English historians, and characterised as chaotic and unregulated. This thesis provides a new interdisciplinary approach to the study of the ‘Angevin Empire’ by examining Henry’s French coinage and challenging the Anglocentric focus which dominates the literature. Via an overview of the coin types circulating within the French Plantagenet lands during Henry’s rule and the differences between the ‘Angevin’ and ‘Aquitanian’ coinages, it explores the use of money and coin, placing the French Plantagenet lands within their wider European context.

By examining the numismatic evidence alongside the written sources, it is possible to establish clear distinctions between the circulation patterns of the ‘Angevin’ and ‘Aquitanian’ coinages. The dividing line between the ‘Angevin’ and ‘Aquitanian’ monetary zones is the river Loire, the historical boundary between the duchy of Normandy and the duchy of Aquitaine. There is no evidence that Henry Plantagenet ever attempted to bridge the divide between the two monetary zones or to introduce a single, uniform coinage, despite incorporating the English sterling into the ‘Angevin’ monetary zone in 1180. It appears, therefore, that the areas in which the ‘Angevin’ coinages circulated were those north of the Loire which were staunchly Plantagenet and were meant to be inherited by Henry’s eldest son Young Henry. The ‘Aquitanian’ coinages, by contrast, are found only within the duchy of Aquitaine, the inheritance of Henry’s second son Richard the Lionheart. Henry’s plans for the Plantagenet succession appears to have directly impacted the coinage and its circulation within the French Plantagenet lands.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of History
Depositing User:	Chris White
Date Deposited:	24 Mar 2025 14:07
Last Modified:	24 Mar 2025 14:07
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/98875
DOI:

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