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King Henry I of England “Gets Medieval on Your A$$” in 1124

BillJonesBillJones Posts: 33,427 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited July 19, 2017 1:43PM in World & Ancient Coins Forum

One of the memorable lines from the film “Pulp Fiction” was uttered by one of the characters when he proclaimed that he was “going to get medieval on your a$$” after two other people in the piece had humiliated him. I won't go into the details. The meaning of “getting medieval” in the real sense is better understood when one learns of the action taken by King Henry I of England (ruled 1100 to 1135) on some dishonest coin makers.

The pennies of William I, who is better known as William the Conqueror, were quite well made for their time, but his son, William II, who is better known as Rufus, allowed the quality of his coinage to slip. After Rufus died in a “hunting accident” that was most likely staged by his brother, Henry, the quality of the British coinage really slipped to an evern lower ebb.

Many of the coins were poorly struck, but even more disturbing was the fact that those coins were made of debased silver. This situation prompted citizens to clip off small pieces of the coinage to test their purity. Once a coin had been clipped, it became hard to pass it.

King Henry’s response was to order the minters to mutilate all of the coins at the mint before they were issued. Faced with a mutilation on all of the new coinage, the assumption was that the public would accept the coins that had been marked that way. The marks are called an “edge incision” or “shick.”

In 1124 King Henry took a more drastic action. The Spink “Coins of England” guide called it “a general purge of moneyers” but it was actually something much worse than a mere “purge.” Here is a contemporary account of the event.

1124 AD ... "And the Bishop Roger of Salisbury sent over all England and bade them (the moneyers) that they should come to Winchester at Christmas. When they came thiter, then were they taken one by one, and deprived each of their right hand and (essential man parts) beneath ... And that was all in perfect justice, because they had undone all of the land with great quantity of base coin."

This gives you a perspective on "medieval" and "cruel and unsual punishment."

The quote was taken from page 8 for the book, "England's Striking History."

Here is at least a part of a Henry I penny. Believe it ot not the much more expensive examples the pennies from this king that I have seen are not much better.


Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?

Comments

  • brg5658brg5658 Posts: 2,384 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited July 19, 2017 1:18PM

    Love it @BillJones ! Great titled thread! :grin::lol:

    -Brandon
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  • 291fifth291fifth Posts: 23,898 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Just way was the coinage of this era allowed to slip to such an artistic and manufacturing low? The Renaissance had not yet arrived but the standards of the day seem beyond merely low.

    All glory is fleeting.
  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 33,427 ✭✭✭✭✭

    It may have been because Rufus and Henry I were more interested in grabbing or holding on to Normandy that worrying about England. Henry conducted his "purge of the moneyers" upon his return from Normandy. The quality of the coinage was just as bad under Stephen what was the next king after Henry I. Stephen was occupied with a civil war over the crown with his cousin Matilda.

    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • yosclimberyosclimber Posts: 4,572 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited July 19, 2017 5:46PM

    Reading wikipedia on Henry I, William Rufus, and Robert, it seems they spent a lot of their time battling each other for properties and the English crown. At least Henry put Robert in prison for the remainder of his life instead of killing him when they battled in 1106.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_the_Conqueror

    It reminds me of how male hummingbirds spend about 1/3 of their flying time defending territory and 1/3 feeding....
    Or many Roman emporers with a short lifespan after becoming emperor.
    Or the current North Korean leader, offing his relatives....
    Makes me glad to live in a relatively civilized time/place.
    https://researchgate.net/profile/F_Stiles/publication/6028621_Time_Energy_and_Territoriality_of_the_Anna_Hummingbird_Calypte_anna/links/554114fd0cf2718618dc998a.pdf?origin=publication_detail

    Henry I is supposedly in my family tree via one of his many illegitimate sons, but given the bias towards adding famous people to a tree, it could easily be wrong. (The tree also says Gundred/Gundrada is a daughter of William I, but most scholars believe this is false, and I've found other debunked links in the tree).

  • WillieBoyd2WillieBoyd2 Posts: 5,034 ✭✭✭✭✭

    The term "Gets Medieval...” might apply to the execution/murder of Edward II by the "red hot poker".

    :)

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  • SaorAlbaSaorAlba Posts: 7,466 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @BillJones said:
    When they came thiter, then were they taken one by one, and deprived each of their right hand and (essential man parts) >beneath ... And that was all in perfect justice, because they had undone all of the land with great quantity of base coin."_

    @WillieBoyd2 said:
    The term "Gets Medieval...” might apply to the execution/murder of Edward II by the "red hot poker".

    :)

    Apt punishments considering the crimes. Ta bad we have gone soft on fools that ruin the country.

    In memory of my kitty Seryozha 14.2.1996 ~ 13.9.2016 and Shadow 3.4.2015 - 16.4.21
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