Coinage of Francis II (I.) and emergency coins of the Great French War

Today's edition of the numismatic review on Treasure Hunters takes us back to the reign of Francis II (I.) and the time of the Napoleonic Wars - an era popular with history hunters not only because of the partial of this conflict on our territory, but also because of the great variety of coins that this era gave rise to.

Francis II - by the will of God, the last Roman Emperor

When Francis, on 12. On 12 February 1768, when Francis was born in Florence, his grandmother, Maria Theresa, still sat on the imperial throne...Joseph Charles of Habsburg-Lorraine was the first-born son of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, the future Emperor Leopold II. and his daughter-in-law Maria Ludovica of Spain.

Although he spent his early childhood happily alongside his siblings at the Tuscan court, it was obvious that, in the absence of descendants of Emperor Joseph II, he would one day be the monarch. The Emperor himself was aware of this, and after Franz's arrival in Vienna in 1784, he partially took over his upbringing himself. It was he who chose his first wife, Princess Elisabeth Wilhelmina Luise of Württemberg.

However, two years after their marriage, on 18 February 1790, the day after the birth of their first-born daughter, Elisabeth died. Two days later, Emperor Joseph II himself died. After Joseph's death, his father Leopold becomes Emperor, but it is also the first time that Francis comes to power. On 19. March 1791, Francis marries for the second time in Vienna, to his cousin Maria Theresa of Naples-Sicily, and in between his father dealing with the tense political situation across Europe (especiallyespecially with regard to France, where a revolution had been underway since 1789), Francis takes on co-government and the affairs of state. The tension soon takes its toll on Emperor Leopold II, who dies early in 1792 (probably of heart failure).

Soon after his 24th birthday, as Francis II, he becomes the new Holy Roman Emperor. He is crowned King of Hungary on 6 June 1792 and King of Bohemia on 9 August 1792. At the beginning of his reign, his aunt Marie Antoinette is executed during the Great French Revolution of 1793. Increasingly deteriorating relations lead to the French Revolutionary Wars, which end in defeat, and lead to territorial losses for Austria and its allies.

In response to Napoleon's proclamation of himself emperor in May 1804 and fearing the loss of his imperial title, Francis had himself proclaimed Emperor of Austria as Francis I on 11 August 1804. As a result of political developments in Europe, in particular the crushing defeat at the "Battle of the Three Emperors" at Austerlitz and the formation of the League of the Rhine as a direct consequence, Francis became Emperor of Austria on 6 August 1835. On August 1806, he renounces the title of Holy Roman Emperor. He declares the imperial rank abolished and relieves the imperial estates of their obligations to him as Roman sovereign. From this point on, his rule was formally confined to his ancestral dominions, where he ruled as Francis I, Emperor of Austria.

Half a year after the death of his second wife, Maria Theresa, Francis remarries one of his cousins, Princess Maria Ludovica Beatrix of Modena, on 6 January 1808. The marriage was childless due to Marie's tuberculosis, but she was instrumental in raising the married...and was particularly devoted to the heir to the throne, Ferdinand, whose condition improved greatly thanks to her.

The Spanish War of Independence was, in the Emperor's eyes, the opportune moment to attack Napoleonic France, which was preoccupied with the war in the Iberian Peninsula, so Austria, with the prospect of regaining lost territories, launched the War of the Fifth Coalition. However, this ended in debacle for Austria, supported by its allies, and one of its consequences was the marriage of Francis' daughter Marie Louise to Napoleon I Bonaparte. The marriage produced a son, Napoleon Francis (1811-1832).

In 1813, Austria turned against France for the fifth and final time and helped defeat it in the decisive Battle of Leipzig (also known as the Battle of the Nations), making Austria a major player in the final defeat of France.

On 10 November 1816, Emperor Franz I of Austria married for the last time in Vienna, to Princess Caroline Augusta of Bavaria, daughter of King Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria. Caroline Augusta was known for her kind-hearted nature and became a popular empress. Although the marriage remained childless, it was considered harmonious.

On March 2, 1835, 43 years and a day after the death of his father, Francis died in Vienna of a sudden fever at the age of 67, in the presence of many members of his family and with all the religious trappings. His five-year-old grandson, the later Emperor Franz Joseph I, also came to his deathbed to bid him farewell. His funeral was magnificent, and for three days the Viennese came to worship reverently at his coffin in the Hofburg Palace Court Chapel. Francis was buried in the traditional resting place of Habsburg monarchs, the Imperial Crypt in Vienna's Neuer Markt, surrounded by the tombs of his four wives.

Coinage during the reign of Francis II (I)

The coinage during the reign of Francis II represented an important chapter in the history of the Habsburg monarchy, giving rise to a great variety of coins. Those from the first half of his reign witness political and economic upheavals, especially the Napoleonic Wars, which had a major impact on monetary policy and coin production.

In 1792, when Francis ascended the throne, a conventional currency had been in force for almost forty years, and the coinage of the so-called "coinage" was taking place in parallel. In 1755, the Austrian Netherlands introduced the Cross Tolars (after the St Andrew's Cross on the reverse) for the first time. Due to their high purity (approximately 0.900), the cross thalers and their parts were used to pay troops fighting against France, which, as a direct result of the ongoing Revolution, declared the 20th April 1792.

As is often the case in times of war and uncertainty, high quality currency began to be thesaurized and coins of conventional currency almost disappeared from circulation by the end of the 18th century. For this reason, in 1795, the so-called "coinage" began to be issued. The "land coin" of 6 and 12 kreutzers was introduced in 1795 and 24 kreutzers in 1800, temporarily interrupting theThe production of the existing Kreutzer denominations - 10 and 20 kreutzers - was temporarily interrupted and the production of 3 kreutzers in Vienna was considerably weakened. These 0.250 coins were forced to circulate in the hereditary countries. In 1795, the 6 and 12 Krejcar were minted at the mints of Vienna(A), Kremnica(B), Karlovy Vary (E), Hall(F), Velká Baňa (G) and the reopened mint of Prague(C) in the same year.

The virtual disappearance of metal coins from circulation and the massive printing of uncirculated paper currency strengthened thethe whole empire into an ever-increasing inflationary spiral, and so the minting of copper kreuzers was reintroduced in 1799. These credit coins were minted in large numbers, especially in 1800. Nominally, these coins were in ¼, 1, 3 and 6 kreutzers. Along with the copper kreuzers, the aforementioned 24 kreuzer was issued in 1800.

An interesting achievement is the atypical 7 krejcar with the year 1802 minted in all six mints. After the conclusion of the peace with France in 1801, there was an effort to bring the already considerably inflation-damaged monetary system under control, and so the withdrawn provincial coins began to be restruck into 7 Krejcars. As the 7 Krejcar was the same size as the 12 Krejcar, the offcuts of these coins were not remelted and then minted, but directly restruck. To this day we can still recognize traces of the 12 Krejcar under the coin image of the newer 7 Krejcar. In 1802, the coinage of the conventional 20 Krejcar was also renewed.

In 1804, the start of the Napoleonic Wars thwarted considerations of monetary reform aimed at reducing unbacked money. After the utterly fatal defeat of the Holy Roman Empire at the Battle of Austerlitz, followed by the disintegration of the empirenine months later, came a rapid decline in inflationary currency and another huge increase in bank notes. The shortage of small coins in circulation was solved by the issue of the copper 15 and 30 kreutzers (also known as the shoemaker's thalers) minted unchanged from 1807.

The war reparations to France amounted to 75 million gold pieces and the increase of bank notes in circulation amounted toof over a billion gold pieces at the beginning of 1811 meant only one thing in this unsustainable situation - state bankruptcy. This, together with the collapse of the economy in the Habsburg Empire, came on 20 February 1811. The aim of the bankruptcy was to reduce the number of uncovered currency to the level of 1799. The paper and copper currency was devalued to 20% of its original value and exchanged at a rate of 5:1 for exchangeable paper - the 'Einlösungs-Scheine', short for 'shayne'. The bankruptcy mainly affected the part of the population that had its savings in inflationary money, but it did not avoid the churches either. For example, the original Corpus Christi and the pedestal of the Cross of Zavis from the Vyšebrod Monastery were requisitioned for the state.The monastery had to take the golden statue of Christ from the cross and take it to the mint to make some ducats.

Then in 1812 a new issue of copper ¼, ½, 1 and 3 kreutzers was issued, which were change for the shains. The bankruptcy resulted, among other things, in the creation of the so-called Wiener Währung (Vienna currency), which was valid in parallel with the conventional currency until 1857.

The defeat of Napoleonic France in 1816, the subsequent reparations to Austria and the regaining of lost territories allowed the monetary situation in the monarchy to stabilise. In the same year, the Austrian National Bank was founded and issued the first covered banknotes. From 1 August 1818, a new issue of copper kreuzers with the year 1816 began to circulate. However, these still credit coins with denominations of ¼, ½ and 1 Krejcar had effectively more purchasing power than the earlier issues and were thus popularly known as "goodies". These coins were issued unchanged (including the year) in the following years. Their abundance allows them to be collected in very good condition and they are a commonly found coin even among treasure hunters. However, the value of the older copper kreuzers gradually depreciated, so that, for example, the 15 kreuzers of 1807 were no longer valid as only 3 kreuzers of conventional currency.

The improving economic situation after the Napoleonic Wars allowed a gradual return to the mass minting of small silver denominations of conventional currency.

The mints of Salzburg(D), Günzburg(H), Oravica(O), Smolnik (S), and the mints of Milan(M) and Venice(V) in Italy were also in operation during the reign of Francis II.

Gold coins issued by Francis II. They were represented by two monetary systems - ducats and Dutch sovereigns.

The progressive industrialization allowed the development of new coinage techniques, and thus already during the reign of Francis we see the gradual transition from coins minted on obsolete spindle presses - balancers to fully modern coins minted on lever presses. This change took place at the beginning of the 1930s. However, it was not only the technology that changed the appearance of the coins; in the early 1920s, the iconography also changed. The bust with long hair surrounded by laurel branches gradually disappeared from the coins and was replaced by a classical image of an ageing emperor with short-cropped hair.

The coinage during the reign of Francis II left a deep mark on the history of the Habsburg monarchy. Although this period was characterised by economic problems, later monetary reforms laid the foundation for the modern monetary system. Today, coins from this period are artefacts that bear witness to the turbulent period of transition between the old feudal world and the modern state system. These coins not only fulfilled their economic function, but also symbolised the power and continuity of the Habsburg dynasty in one of the most crucial periods of European history.

List of coins of Franz II (I)

Since the reign of Francis II was an extremely diverse but also rather complex period for the creation of coins, the author decided to list only the coins minted during his reign. Those interested in the deeper issues of the period are referred to the following recommended literature:

Vlastislav Novotný - Coins of Francis I 1792-1835

Frühwald Publishing House - Münzen der Habsburg-lothringischen Kaiser 1745-1806 + Die Münzen und Medaillen des Kaisertums Österreich 1806-1918

Ludwig Herinek - Österreichische Münzprägungen von 1740-1969

Coinage for hereditary countries

¼ Krejcar (Cu)

½ Krejcar (Cu)

Krejcar (Cu)

3 Krejcar (Cu) - 1799 vintage on thick silver clip

6 Krejcar (Cu)

15 krejcar (Cu)

30 krejcar (Cu)

3 krejcar (Ag)

5 krejcar (Ag)

6 krejcar (Ag) - 1795 only

7 krejcar (Ag) - 1802 only

10 krejcar (Ag)

12 krejcar (Ag) - 1795 only

20 krejcar (Ag)

20 krejcar (Ag) - Hungarian type

24 krejcar (Ag) - 1800 only

½ tolar (Ag)

½ tolar (Ag) - Hungarian type

Royal Tolar 1792 "Königstaler" (Ag) - Austrian and Hungarian type

Tolar (Ag)

Tolar (Ag) - Hungarian type

½ ducat 1796 E (Au) - test only!

Royal ducat 1792 (Au)

Ducat (Au)

Ducat (Au) - Hungarian type

2 ducat (Au)

4 ducat (Au)

Mintings for front Austria

Hunders (Cu)

¼ Krejcar (Cu) - vintages 1801-1803 on weaker die

½ Krejcar (Cu) - vintages 1801-1805 on weaker die

Krejcar (Cu) - vintages 1801-1803 on a weaker reverse, part of the 1804 issue and the whole 1805 issue with different copying

3 krejcar (Ag)

6 krejcar (Ag)

Insurgent coins from Tyrol - Andreas Hofer

After the Peace of Pressburg (1805), Tyrol was ceded by Austria to Bavaria, which was an ally of Napoleon. In 1809, an uprising broke out here, led by Andreas Hofer, a farmer and innkeeper who became a symbol of Tyrolean resistance. The so-called Hofer coins were krejcars and 20 krejcars with the year 1809, minted at the Hall mint in Tyrol under the mintmaster Hubert Josef Jolliot. The pins were struck by the Innsbruck watchmaker Joseph Bayrer. They were minted in large numbers and in numerous variations with minor differences, and they are the last coins to come out of the Hall mint.

Krejcar 1809 (Cu)

20 Krejcar 1809 (Ag)

Struck for the Austrian Netherlands

1 liard (Cu)

2 liard (Cu)

10 liards (Ag)

14 liards (Ag)

¼ cross thaler (Ag)

½ cross thaler (Ag)

Cross thaler (Ag)

½ sovrano (Au)

Sovrano (Au)

2 sovrano (Au)

Mintings for Gorizia and Gradiška

½ soldo (Cu)

Soldo (Cu)

2 soldo (Cu)

15 soldi - 8 ½ kreuzer (Ag)

Stampings for Milan

30 soldi (Ag)

Stampings for Veneto

½ lira (Ag)

Lira (Ag)

2 lira (Ag)

½ lira Veneta (Ag)

Lira Veneta (Ag)

1½ lira Veneta (Ag)

Stampings for Lombardy-Veneto

Centesimo (Cu)

3 centesimi (Cu)

5 centesimi (Cu)

¼ lira (Ag)

½ lira (Ag)

Lira (Ag)

½ scudo (Ag)

Scudo ( Ag)

½ sovrano (Au)

Sovrano (Au)

Production for Mantova

½ soldo 1793 (Cu)

Other coins for Italian states

Zecchino (Au)

Army coins for Halych and Bukovina

For the needs of the Austrian army stationed in Halych and Bukovina, coins with the currency denomination in Polish groszy were minted at the Vienna mint.

Polish grosz 1794 (Cu)

3 Polish grosz 1794 (Cu)

Emergency coins of the Great French War

This chapter is devoted to the emergency coins produced during the Great French War (1792-1815) in the territory of the Holy Roman Empire and later the Austrian Empire.

Mintings of the City of Luxembourg

On 21 November 1794, the city of Luxembourg was besieged by the French. During the siege, the city administration put into circulation silver Ecu (similar in size to the thaler) and Sol (4 Liards) cast from cannon.

The Écu, equivalent to 72 Soles, bore almost no coinage - rather decorative elements, with the inscription AD USUM LUXEMBURGI CCVALLATI 1795 running underneath on the obverse. On the reverse, the value designation LXXII ASSES 13, the number 13 surrounded by a laurel branch.

Sol equal to 4 Liardy bears on the obverse a consecutive inscription expressing the value designation I SOL 1795, below the date of the coinage mark interpreted in literature as a patron, and on the reverse the Luxembourg coat of arms with the abbreviated imperial title F II on the sides.

After an exhausting seven-month siege, the remaining garrison of about 12,000, led by General Jan Blasius Kolumban von Bender, surrendered and the city capitulated on 7 June 1795.

1 sol 1795 (CuSn) = 4 Liards

Ecu 1795 (Ag) = 72 Soles

Mintages of Mantova

Emergency coins minted during the two waves of the siege of Mantua. First during the siege by the French from 4 June 1796 and with a brief interruption until 2 February 1797. Minted in silver by twenty-fold Solda. The siege ended with the Austrian surrender. Also minted cross thalers with the title of Maria Theresa and the year 1765, also sovranos with the title of Joseph II without the year.

During the unsuccessful siege by the Austrian troops between April and July 1799, a bell-shaped soldo was cast and 5, 10 and 15 times the soldo were minted in silver.

Of the entire list of emergency coins, those from Mantova are the best technically and artistically executed.

20 soldi 1796 (Ag)

Soldo 1799 (CuSn)

5 soldi 1799 (Ag)

10 soldi 1799 (Ag)

15 soldi 1799 (Ag)

Zamosc Fortress stampings

The Zamość Fortress, whose origins date back to the second half of the 16th century. It was one of the largest fortresses in the territory of today's Poland and at the same time the largest fortress in theIt was one of the key points of defence of the Duchy of Warsaw, which was subordinate to Napoleon. The siege began in February 1813, when Russian troops led by General Fyodor Rüdiger attempted to isolate the fortress. They were later joined by Austrian troops. After a long siege, the exhaustion of supplies and the spread of disease among the soldiers and population, the fortress was forced to surrender on 22 November 1813. Of the approximately 4,000 defenders, 1,500 died, mostly of disease and starvation. The lack of currency inside the fortress led to the minting of 6 copper groschen and 2 zlotys in silver.

The copper coins bear the denomination 6 GROSZY on the obverse, with a crossed laurel and palm branch below. On the reverse a four-line inscription PIENIĄDZ W OBLEZENIU ZAMOSCIA 1813.

The silver coins have a three-line inscription on the obverse surrounded by a laurel wreath 2 GOLD 1813, in a circle around the inscription BOZE DOPOMOZ WIERNYM OYCZYZNIE. The reverse consists of a three-line inscription with the mark of an artillery shell, below it MONETA W OBLEZENIU ZAMOSCIA.

6 groszy 1813 (Cu)

2 zlotys 1813 (Ag)

Mintings of the city of Zadar (Zara)

During the siege of the city of Zadar in 1813 by Austrian troops, the French garrison minted emergency coins to ensure the functioning of the local economy. These coins, weighing troy ounces, double and quadruple, were struck on silver ingots in the shape of a puck, bearing the value given in francs and centimes plus ounces on the reverse, and crowned with the imperial eagle with the side inscriptions ZARA / 1813 on the reverse. Minting probably took place from November until the surrender of the city on 6 December 1813. After the surrender, they were replaced by Austrian coins. Surviving pieces are extremely rare today!

1 ounce = 4 francs, 60 centimes

2 ounces = 9 francs, 20 centimes

4 ounces = 18 francs 40 centimes

Cattaro minted

Emergency coins minted by the French garrison of Cattaro (today's Kotor, Montenegro) during the siege by the Austrian Army and the British Navy from 14 October 1813 to 3 October 1813. The coinage was struck with negative dies/puncy (?) on both sides in cast, roughly worked silver sherds weighing approximately 1/5, 1 and 2 troy ounces. In the case of the 5 and 10 francs large crowned N with the value in the obverse, the copy in the outer pearl, interlaced cannon, rifle and sabre in centre of laurel wreath in reverse, date below in lateral description. After the surrender, the city switched back to the Austrian monetary system.

1 franc 1813 = approx. 1/5 ounce, 20 mm

5 francs 1813 = approx. 1 ounce, 40 mm

10 franc 1813 = approx. 2 ounces, 45 mm

Mintings of the city fortress of Palmanova

The Siege of Palmanova began in October 1813 and was one of the last episodes of the Napoleonic Wars in Italy. The fort was defended by a French garrison of over 3,000 men. After Napoleon's abdication in April 1814, the town surrendered the same month. During this period, 25 and 50 centesimi are issued. Sources differ as to the material used for minting, but it is most likely to be billon or additional silver plated AE alloy. Both denominations carry the face value in two lines CEIT 25/50 in the obverse, around the description NAPOLEONE IMPE E RE. Below the denomination a laurel branch. In the centre of the reverse a stylised Lombard iron crown (?), below it the date 1814. DASSE. PALMA. In the case of 50 centesimi, a six-pointed star separates the beginning and end of the description in the reverse.

25 centesimi 1814 (billon?)

50 centesimi 1814 (billon?)

Treasure Hunter's Highlight - or the best of Francis II (I) found by a metal detector

• 1828 Carlsburg ducat by Flaxa

• Beautiful ½ Sovrano 1792 by PT92

• Cross Tolar 1794 by prospektor

• ¼ Cross Thaler 1794 by DonSilver

• Depot of twelfths by kaja

• 7 krejcar 1802 in "mint" by user hrablo

• "Shoemaker's thaler" from Smolnik at the end