Louis XVII (27 March 1785 – 8 June 1795), born Louis-Charles, was the second son of King Louis XVI of France and Queen Marie Antoinette. He was at birth given the title Duke of Normandy. His older brother, Louis Joseph, died in June 1789, a little over month before the start of the French Revolution. At his brother's death he became the heir-apparent to the throne and the Dauphin of France, a title he would hold until 1791, when the new constitution accorded the heir apparent the style of Prince Royal of France.
On August 13, 1792 the royal family was imprisoned in the tower of the Temple. Immediately following Louis XVI's execution, plots were hatched for the escape of the prisoners from the Temple. Louis-Charles died on June 8, 1795 after serious illness. This medal puts forth the notion that the boy that died on June 8 was not the actual Louis XVII but a substitute. The inscription 'REDEVENU LIBRE LE 8 JUIN 1795' means 'Returned into liberty June 8, 1795'. In volume 45 of the Proceedings of the American Numismatic and Archeological Society an author states that this medal makes this claim.