Banknote Billet France 200 francs Charles Montesquieu, écrivain et philosophe français 1984

Remarks:

Plis, usure et tâches

The 200 francs Montesquieu banknote is a French banknote issued by the Banque de France, first issued in 1984. The example presented here bears the date 1985 and belongs to series D.037.

This banknote pays tribute to Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu, a major figure of the French Enlightenment, writer and philosopher born in 1689 and died in 1755. He is particularly known for his fundamental work The Spirit of the Laws, published in 1748, in which he developed the theory of the separation of powers, a concept that would lastingly influence modern constitutional systems. The choice of Montesquieu to illustrate this high-denomination banknote reflects the central place this thinker occupies in French intellectual and political history.

The face value of this banknote is 200 francs, making it one of the highest denominations in the French franc banknote series in circulation at the time. Its graphic design incorporates a portrait of Montesquieu as well as iconographic elements related to his work and his era, characteristic of the Banque de France's production for this series.

This banknote belongs to a pivotal period in French monetary history, before the introduction of the euro in 2002 which brought an end to the circulation of the French franc. It is today a collectible item representative of French fiduciary numismatic production in the second half of the 20th century. Its weight is 1 gram, in accordance with the manufacturing standards for banknotes of this generation.