Description

Charles I. 1625-1649. Gilded Cast Silver Medal 1639, 42.63 g. Charles I, Dominion of the sea. By N. Briot. Armoured bust wearing a large plain collar. 1639 incuse in truncation. CAROLVS . I . D : G . MAG . BRITANN . FRAN . ET . HIB . REX . Behind bust BRIOT. Rv. A ship at full sail. NEC . META MIHI . QVÆ . TERMINVS . ORBI . Plain edge. 59 mm. Eimer 136. MI i 285/97. Sehr schön / Very Fine. Gelocht und Felder geglättet / Pierced and fields smoothed.

In 1639, Charles I of England sought to assert his authority and expand his influence through the concept of the "Dominion of the Sea." This idea was rooted in the belief that the English monarch had sovereignty over the seas surrounding the British Isles, particularly the English Channel and the North Sea. Charles's efforts to enforce this claim were part of a broader strategy to strengthen royal power, project national prestige, and control maritime trade and fishing rights. However, his policies in this regard contributed to tensions with other maritime powers, particularly the Dutch Republic, and exacerbated domestic conflicts.

This medal is cast and chased, and is a copy of MI i 256/40, with the exception of a difference in the portrait of the King, which is older, and the dress varied. It appears to have been issued when negotiations were going on between Oquendo and Charles I and when the fate of the Spanish fleet in the Downs off Dover depended upon the decision of the English monarch. It also affirms his claims to the dominion of the sea.