fleur-de-lys, or three-petalled lily, first became clearly associated with the Capetian dynasty. Louis VI had his coins stamped with the device, a model followed by his son. The symbol was an old one, traceable to the Carolingians and possibly also to the Merovingians, but it had a new and useful relevance in the middle decades of the twelfth century when the dynasty’s power began to flourish in earnest. The flower, whose three petals evoked the Trinity, was also a symbol associated with the Virgin Mary, queen of Heaven, whose cult expanded enormously in the twelfth century. Emblematic of both historic and heavenly monarchy, the lily thus encapsulated the Capetians’ claims about their right to rule France not only by right of blood but also through divine favour.