Louis

Louis may refer to:

See also

Louis (parrot)

Louis was a well-known parrot from Victoria, British Columbia. From the time of his reclusive owner's death in 1949 until 1966 he continued to on his owner's estate, well-provided for in her will, and preventing development of the prime real estate.

History

Victoria Jane Wilson (1878-1949) was born in Victoria and raised very privately by her parents. At age five she received Louis as a pet, and later obtained many other birds. The top floor of her house became an aviary. Around 1911, Victoria bought an electric car, reportedly in order to take Louis on rides.

Victoria led a reclusive life, entirely at the mansion on Courtney Street where she had been raised, until her death in 1949. Her will included a large amount of funds to take care of her birds (53 at the time), and Victoria's former servant Wah Wong was paid to be a caretaker, staying at the house to do so. Louis was well known for enjoying brandy, two bottles per year, though news reports at the time liked to refer to him as a lush. Eventually all the birds died except for Louis, whose presence still kept the property from being sold.

Louis d'or

4 Louis d’or of Louis XIII(1640), first year of issue, Paris Mint.

The Louis d'or is any number of French coins first introduced by Louis XIII in 1640. The name derives from the depiction of the portrait of King Louis on one side of the coin; the French royal coat of arms is on the reverse. The coin was replaced by the French franc at the time of the revolution and later the similarly valued Napoleon, although a limited number of Louis were also minted during the "Bourbon Restoration" under Louis XVIII. The actual value of the coins fluctuated according to monetary and fiscal policy (see livre tournois), but in 1726 the value was stabilized.

The 1640 issue of Louis d’or contained five denominations: a half Louis and a one, two, four, and eight Louis. All subsequent issues through 1793 were only denominated in half, one, and two Louis.

Louis XIII

The Louis d'or (a gold coin) replaced the franc which had been in circulation (in theory) since John II of France. In actual practice the principal gold coin circulating in France in the earlier 17th century had been Spanish: the 6.7-gram double escudo or "doubloon", of which the Louis d'or was an explicit copy. There also existed a half-Louis coin (the demi-louis d'or) and a two-Louis coin (the double louis d'or).