BHM0539  Obv: Bust of Lord Cornwallis facing left, Rev: Britannia seated gazing at a plaque bearing the head of George III. Peace of Amiens.  The Treaty of Amiens ended the war between Britain and revolutionary France. Lord Cornwallis headed the negotiation team from Britain and had the power to sign a treaty on behalf of parliament and the King.  Under its terms, Britain gave up most of its recent conquests while France was to evacuate Naples and Egypt. Britain retained Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and Trinidad. The United Kingdom desperately needed the peace to enable restoration of trade with continental Europe and stabilize its finances.  The American rebellion with the loss of the American colonies, followed by war with revolutionary France did much damage to the British economy. Meanwhile, in post revolutionary France, Napoleon was consolidating power and needed time to fully establish his control. Napoleon used the interlude for major internal reforms such as the promulgation of the new legal system under the Napoleonic Code, making peace with the Vatican by the Concordat, and issuing a new constitution that gave him lifetime control. Napoleon was also busy crafting alliances and pressuring smaller European states to freeze Britain out of continental trade. So, the treaty turned out be very short lived, in fact the Amiens treaty was really just no more than a cease fire. In 1803 Britain declared war when Napoleon attempted to occupy Switzerland, failed to give back certain territories and locked Britain out of certain ports. A protracted struggle now enflamed Europe as the Napoleonic Wars commenced in earnest.  No rubs or wear of any kind. Glossy surfaces free from spots but multiple light contact marks in the obverse and reverse fields  Rather severely graded by NGC as an MS61.

NGC 2918080-014