Medal of Henry III Valois from the suite of French kings, by Thomas Bernard, minted on behalf of Launay, approx. 1710.
The complete suite consists of 72 rulers, and the 73rd medal is a description of the legend on the remaining medals. Medals up to no. 65 are not signed, they are attributed to several medalists (including Thomas Bernard and Armand Auguste Caque). The medal with King Henry Valois is no. 62.
Obverse: bust of the king wearing a laurel wreath and with an earring in his right ear, facing right
HENRI III ROI DE FRANCE ET DE POLOGNE
Reverse: inscription in eight lines
62 / NE 1551 / SUCCEDE 1574 / INSTITUTION DE L'ORDRE / DU SAINT ESPRIT 1578 / MORT 1589 / TROISIEME RACE / DU 11 AU 10 DEGRE
Diameter 33 mm, weight 11.41 g
Henry III (Henry III Valois), born on September 19, 1551 in Fontainebleau, died on August 2, 1589 in Saint-Cloud, was King of Poland from 1573 to 1575 and King of France from 1574 to 1589. He remained the last king of the Valois dynasty. He was the fourth son of King Henry II and Queen Catherine de Medici, Henry was not destined for the crown. Under his brother Charles IX, he distinguished himself as head of the royal army, winning the battles of Jarnac and Moncontour against the Protestants. At the age of 21, he ran for the free throne of Poland, and on May 11, 1573, he was elected King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. His reign did not last more than a year because, after announcing the death of his brother, who died without a male heir, he abandoned his kingdom to succeed him on the throne of France.
