1848 France Revolution Medal – Denis Auguste Affre, Archbishop of Paris – Extremely Fine (XF)

1848 France Revolution Medal – Denis Auguste Affre, Archbishop of Paris – Extremely Fine (XF)

Offered here is an extraordinarily powerful piece of 19th-century French revolution exonumia: an 1848 historical medal commemorating Denis Auguste Affre (1793–1848), the 126th Archbishop of Paris, who was martyred on the barricades of Paris during the violent June Days Uprising (Les Journées de Juin).

Graded Extremely Fine (XF), this piece features crisp, well-defined relief with rich, aged patina and clean field fields—preserving a tragic and heroic moment from the birth of the French Second Republic.

Historical Significance & Narrative

During the political turmoil of the French Revolution of 1848, worker unrest erupted across Paris in late June following the sudden closure of the National Workshops (Ateliers Nationaux). As brutal street fighting raged between insurgent workers and the National Guard, Archbishop Denis Auguste Affre believed his personal intervention could broker peace and halt the bloodshed.

On June 25, 1848, wearing his Archbishop’s green sash and preceded by a young man bearing an olive branch, Affre climbed the heavily fortified barricade at the Place de la Bastille (Faubourg Saint-Antoine). Moments after he began addressing the crowd, stray gunfire broke out. Affre was struck in the spine by a musket ball and fell mortally wounded.

Before succumbing to his injuries on June 27, 1848, his legendary final words were recorded:

"Puisse mon sang être le dernier versé!"

("May my blood be the last shed!")

His martyrdom sent shockwaves across Europe. Over 200,000 mourners filled the streets of Paris for his official state funeral on July 7, 1848, and a series of commemorative medals were struck by prominent French engravers to honor his sacrifice for peace, faith, and the French people.

Item Specifications