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

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 abundance of the coinage of the Kingdom of Navarre decreased (both in Upper Navarre and Lower Navarre), Bayonne became one of the most important mints in France. However, since the coinage of Bayonne was made under the authority and in the name of the French kings, it arouses less attention and curiosity among the Basques than the Navarrese coinage.

If we want to take a look at the creation of the Bayonne mint, we must review the historical evolution of Lapurdi in the Middle Ages. The roots of Bayonne can be traced back to the Roman Castrum called Lapurdum, which was founded in the 4th century AD at the confluence of the Errobi and Atur rivers. The Viscountcy of Lapurdi was founded by Sancho III the Great, King of Navarre, in 1023, and its first lord was his cousin Sancho Lupo. Bayonne was the capital of the Viscountcy and the Viscount used to live there. But soon and gradually the Viscountcy began to fall outside the Kingdom of Navarre, under the influence of the Duchy of Aquitaine.

Image of Richard the Lionheart, married to Berengaria of Navarre – he separated Bayonne from the Viscounty of Labourd and placed it under the rule of the Plantagenet Crown

After his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152, the Duchy of Aquitaine received King Henry II of England as its new Duke. Viscount Bertrand of Lapurdi opposed the Duchy and the new rulers from 1167, and Eleanor's son, Richard the Lionheart, opposed the rebels. In 1177, Richard the Lionheart separated Bayonne from the lands of the Viscounty of Lapurdi and placed it under the crown itself (the new capital of Lapurdi became Uztaritz). Richard and his descendants granted the city of Bayonne numerous commercial privileges. Taking advantage of its protected maritime location, Bayonne's ships became trading posts between the Bay of Biscay and the territories of England and Normandy. Among other things, the Bayonnens transported Bordeaux wines, dye plants, foodstuffs or resin to the north. At the same time, it became a fortified and strategic city located on the southern border of the Duchy.

English royal seal found in Bayonne Cathedral – Daniel Villafruela – Wikipedia

The entire Viscounty of Lapurdi fell under the control of the Duke of Aquitaine in 1193 and a few years later, in 1200, when the territories of Gipuzkoa were united with the Crown of Castile, another fundamental event occurred for Navarre. The kingdom lost its access to the sea and therefore the possession of all its seaports. From now on, due to the endless conflicts with Castile and the stable alliance between the kingdoms of Navarre and England, Bayonne became the seaport center of the kingdom of Navarre, replacing San Sebastian and Hondarribia.

John the Plain, Duke of Aquitaine and King of England, granted Bayonne a city charter in 1215, freeing it from any future feudal lords. In the same century, work began on the current Gothic cathedral of Sainte-Marie, on the same site as the previous Romanesque temple. Bayonne had already become an important episcopal seat since the 11th century.

Photo of Bayonne Cathedral, taken from the cloister – Pinpin – Wikipedia

Under English rule, the city experienced significant growth in the following centuries, thanks to both trade and military development. Shipyards, and the ships built from them, brought profits from trade, fishing and even piracy to the port. During these times, and after being separated from the surrounding pirate territories, Bayonne developed its own character and identity. In terms of language, for example, the city spoke Gascon to a large extent. Gascon was a widespread language in Bayonne until the beginning of the 20th century, although it seems incredible today. Here too, Basque was seen as the language of servants, farmers and ordinary people.

Its strategic importance within the Duchy of Aquitaine and the English crown made Bayonne deeply involved in the Hundred Years' War. And here we see the Castilians, united with the King of France, King Henry II of Trastamara, at the head of 20,000 soldiers, besieging the city in 1374. Surely, there would have been many southern Gipuzkoans, Biscayans and Álava people outside the walls in that siege, and many Lapurdians, Xuberians and Navarrese inside the walls. At this moment, the Hundred Years' War had become a war between the Basques, in addition to those between the many other peoples that were included in it. The sieges failed and the Castilians were forced to return south.

Image of a manuscript in which King Edward III appointed Edward the Black Prince Prince of Aquitaine – British Library – circa 1390

In fact, during this war, Edward III. (1327 – 1377) King of England wanted to thank the city for its loyalty and granted the city the right to mint coins for a period of ten years. The profits from the minting were to be used for the improvement and maintenance of the walls. This is the first reference to coinage in Bayonne. However, I have not found any traces of Bayonne coins from this period.

ED-WARDx DEIx GRAx REXx AnGLx DnSx hYBx ACQ-A' – Edward by the grace of God King of England, Lord of Ireland and Aquitaine – London Mint (between 1361-1369)

+ Ih'Cx AVTEMx TRAnsIEnSx PERx mEDIVx ILLORVmx IBAT – But Jesus, passing through their midst, went on his way – Gospel of Luke IV, 30 – Cgb Auction House

In the years surrounding the death of Edward the Black Prince (1376), during the Hundred Years' War, the English were in serious trouble. Of all the territories that had once been part of the Kingdom of France, they only held the cities of Bordeaux, Calais and Bayonne.

However, the war resumed with force after the first decade of the 15th century and although King Henry VI of England was on the verge of obtaining the French crown, thanks to the impetus of Joan of Arc, the French monarchy prevailed in 1453, after conquering the city of Bordeaux.

Two years earlier, on 20 August 1451, the city of Bayonne surrendered to the French army, ending nearly 300 years of English rule. There was little destruction or loss of life, as the bishop convinced the citizens of the benefits of dealing with the French leaders. The loss of 40,000 gold escudos, the disruption of trade links and the filling of the Atur riverbed led to an economic crisis for the city at the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th centuries.

But at the same time, the city was undergoing a new renaissance. Jews exiled from Castile, Aragon, Portugal and, finally, the kingdom of Navarre, found refuge and a new life there. The city would become famous in the following centuries for its chocolate production, among other things, thanks to the Jewish equipment. A stronghold on the southern border of the French kingdom, after the Atur river was re-routed in 1578 and the city regained a good outlet to the sea, Bayonne was once again strengthened as a commercial, military and fishing center.

Drawing of the city of Bayonne between 1570 and 1578 – seen from the Santizpirit district. In the foreground the Aturri River and the Bayonne Ttipia district. In the background the Grand Bayonne, including the Cathedral, and the Errobi River

As a catalyst and also a sign of the revival of trade, King Charles VIII of France granted the city of Bayonne the right to mint coins in 1490. The new mint would feature an anchor.

KAROLVS: DEI: GRA: FRANCORVM: REX – Golden Sun Shield of King Charles VIII of France – 26.5 mm 3.36 gr

XPS: VINCIT: XPS: REGNAT: ET: IMPERAT (between 1490 and 1498) Christ conquers, Christ rules and Christ reigns

The anchor is visible on both the front and back – one of the first examples from Bayonne

As trade activity strengthened, the city received a large supply of foreign coins and, without going through the Bordeaux mint, the Bayonnens asked the king for a mint that would allow them to convert foreign coins and metals into new coins. The first mint in Bayonne opened on the present-day rue Orbe, and for about 160 years, it produced gold, silver and billon coins, struck by hammer.

LVDOVICVS: DEI: GRACIA: FRANCORV: REX (Anchor) – Gold porcupine shield of King Louis XII of France – 26 mm, 3.38 gr

XPS: VINCIT: XPS: REGNAT: XPS: IMPERAT (anchor) Christ conquers, Christ rules, Christ reigns (between 1498 and 1515)

During the reign of King Francis I, and after the monetary reform of 1540, the Bayonne mint was to be named after the L instead of the anchor. In fact, we will continue to see both the anchor and the L together for a whole century.

FRANCISCVS: D: G: FRANCORV: REX: – Golden Sun Shield of Francis I of France – With Anchor and Lion – 3.37 gr

XPS: VINCIT: XPS: REGNAT: XPS: IMPE. – between 1541 and 1547 

HENRICVS.II.DEI.G.FRANCOR.REX.(Anchor).S – Silver Coin of King Henry II of France – 9.41 gr 30 mm

XPS.VINCIT.XPS.REGNAT.XPS.IMP.1555. Year

HENRICVS.III.DGFRANCOR.ET.POL.REX.(L) 1579 – Silver Franc of Henry III, King of France and Poland – 13.78 gr 35 mm

SIT.NOMEN.DOMINI.BENEDICTVM. (Flower). (Anchor) – Blessed be the Name of God.

HENRICVS.IIII.DGFRANC.E.NAVA.RX.1610 – Silver Quarter of Henry IIII King of France and Navarre – 9.51 gr 28 mm – Collection from Monaco

SIT.NOMEN.DOMINI.BENEDICTVM.(Anchor).(Olive).L Izkia – Blessed be the Name of God – Olive, Mintmark of Jeanne DOLLIVET (1605-1610)

Henry III, King of Navarre, and Henry IV, King of France, were assassinated by Revaillac in Paris on May 14, 1610.

LVDOVICVS.XIII.DGFRAN.E.NA.RE.1649 – Silver Quarter Shield of Louis XIV, King of France and Navarre – 9.52 gr – 29.5 mm

SIT.NOMEN.DOMINI.BENEDICTVM.(Anchor).(B Left). L Left – B Left, hallmark of the Mintmaster Martin de La Borde (1643-1656)

1649 – Last appearance of hammered coins at the Bayonne mint

The importance of the Bayonne mint continued to grow over the years. Its proximity to the Spanish kingdom allowed it to benefit from cheap supplies of gold and silver from the territories of the Indies. On the other hand, the Bayonne mint was under the authority of the "Cour des Monnaies", the supreme regulator of the coinage of the French kingdom. As such, it often received some kind of favoritism in its disputes with the "Cour des Comptes de Navarre" of Pau and the supreme court of coinage of Bearn.

In fact, throughout the 16th century and even to some extent in the 17th century, Bearn and Lower Bearn were sovereign territories, under the reign of Labrit-Foix and later the Bourbons. Although their coinage followed the laws and weights of French coinage, the assayers and coin masters from the Bayonne mint verified their parity with the French coinage standards at the mints of Donapaleu, Morlaas and Pau. Otherwise, Navarrese and Bearn coins did not have parity of value and free use in the territories of the French kingdom…

Bibliography:

LES POIDS MONETAIRES DU MUSEE – Basque Museum of Bayonne – link

BAYONET CATHEDRAL – wikipedia – link

BAYONET – wikipedia – link

ATELIER DE BAYONNE 1490 – Club Numismatique Liegeois – link

THE HUNDRED YEARS WAR (Part One) – Paper Sea Podcast – link

THE HISTORY OF BAYONNE CHOCOLAT – Bayonne Chocolate Academy – link

HISTORY OF THE PORT OF BAYONNE – Bayonne Chocolate Academy – Summary of the Book “L'Adour et le Port de Bayonne” – link

HISTORIQUE PORT DE BAYONNE – Historical summary of the port of Bayonne – link

HISTORY OF THE WALLS OF BAYONET – Olivier Ribeton – Fortius Pamplona Bayonne – link

BASQUE MUSEUM OF BAYONET – link

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