Banknote Billet France 200 francs Charles Montesquieu, écrivain et philosophe français 1985

The 200 francs Montesquieu banknote was issued in 1985 by the Banque de France. It bears the reference number N.036 in the classification of French banknotes.

This banknote pays tribute to Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu, an 18th-century French philosopher and writer, best known for The Spirit of the Laws and Persian Letters. A major figure of the Enlightenment, Montesquieu is particularly renowned for his theory of the separation of powers, which has profoundly influenced modern constitutional systems.

The obverse of the banknote features a portrait of Montesquieu, carefully rendered in a style characteristic of French banknotes of that era. The graphic composition also incorporates architectural and symbolic elements related to the philosopher's work and period. The reverse completes the composition with illustrations evoking Montesquieu's intellectual and literary world, including references to his château de La Brède in the Gironde.

This 200 francs banknote belongs to a series of cultural banknotes issued by the Banque de France from the 1980s onwards, aimed at highlighting iconic figures of French intellectual and artistic heritage. It is distinguished by the fineness of its printing and the use of anti-counterfeiting techniques typical of the standards of the time, including watermarks and security features integrated into the banknote paper.

This type of banknote, withdrawn from circulation during the transition to the euro in the early 2000s, is today a collector's item representative of French numismatic production in the second half of the 20th century. The face value printed on the banknote is 200 francs.