Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, City of Besançon silver Carolus 1542

WillieBoyd2 · August 20, 2017 11:44AM

City of Besançon silver Carolus 1542
Silver, 19mm, 1.44gm
Obverse: Crowned bust of Charles V facing left / CAROLVS V IMPERATOR
Reverse: Arms of the city / MONE CIVI BISVNTINE 1542
Catalog: Roberts 7005 (James N. Roberts, The Silver Coins of Medieval France, 1996)

Charles V (1500-1558), King of Spain (1516-1556) and Holy Roman Emperor (1519-1556), was one of the best known kings of the middle ages.

During his reign, Spain's wealth in gold and silver was greatly increased by the conquistador activities of Cortes in Mexico and Pizarro in Peru.

Charles's motto, Plus Ultra "More Beyond", became the national motto of Spain and appeared on some Spanish coins.

Charles V, as King of Spain, was reported given a golden falcon by the Knights of St. John in return for the island of Malta.

Mexico has honored him by naming a candy bar after him, the "Carlos Quinto".

Besançon is a city currently part of France. It has been passed around between German states, Spain, and France. It was part of the Holy Roman Empire since 1034 and was designated the Free Imperial City of Besançon in 1184. The city struck coins between 1526 and 1673.

I just had to have a coin with Charles V on it after reading Dashiell Hammett's book The Maltese Falcon and now I do.