BOHEMIA. Prag (Prague), circa 1600-1650. Cast Medal (Gold, 55 mm, 30.34 g, 12 h), so-called 'Judenmedaille'. On the marriage of King Louis XII of France (1462-1515) and Anne de Bretagne (1477-1514). ✠ LUDOVICO•XII•REGNANTE•CÆSARE•ALTERO•GAUDET•OMNIS•NATIO Crowned and draped bust of Louis XII to right. Rev. ANNA•REGINA•HAC•VIVENTE•OMNIS•LÆTABATVR•TERRA Crowned and draped bust of Anne de Bretagne to left. Bernhart 15 var. (silver). Klein B 15. Köhler VI, 423. Rare and very well preserved, a beautiful piece. The usual contemporary tooling, otherwise, extremely fine.



This rare medal commemorates the politically significant marriage of King Louis XII of France and Anne of Brittany in 1499, a union that helped secure Brittany’s continued attachment to the French Crown while preserving elements of the duchy’s distinct status.

Louis XII can hardly be regarded as a protector or benefactor of the Jews: under his rule, the exclusionary policies of the French monarchy were extended to Provence, where long-established Jewish communities still survived. The expulsions ordered in 1500 and 1501 effectively brought centuries of organized Jewish life in Provence to an end, forcing many Jews into exile or conversion. Even those who converted were not fully assimilated, as Louis imposed a special tax on the Provençal néophytes in 1512.