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1/2 Ecu - Louis of Berlaymont
| Issuer | Cambrai, Bishopric of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1572 |
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| Currency | Pound |
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| Obverse description | Central field occupied by the elaborate quartered coat of arms of Louis of Berlaymont, Archbishop of Cambrai, surmounted by a crowned episcopal helmet with mantling and ornate foliate crest. The shield displays the Berlaymont family arms incorporating a battlement motif in the base quarter. The arms are flanked by decorative acanthus scrollwork. A circular Latin legend surrounds the design within a beaded border. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Imperial double-headed eagle displayed in the center of the field, each head crowned and surmounted by a single imperial crown, the breast unadorned. The eagle's wings are spread and detailed with fine feather engraving characteristic of the hammered coinage of the period. The date 1572 appears within the circular Latin legend that runs along the upper portion of the coin, acknowledging the suzerainty of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II. A beaded border frames the entire design. |
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| Additional information |
Louis of Berlaymont was appointed Bishop of Cambrai in 1570 as a direct instrument of Philip II's policy to consolidate Spanish Habsburg authority in the southern Netherlands — his family were among the most reliable Catholic loyalist nobles in the region. This coin was struck just as the Dutch Revolt was fracturing the Low Countries, with Cambrai occupying an awkward position as an imperial fief nominally outside both Spanish and rebel control. Berlaymont's tenure was defined by that political pressure from every direction.
Delmonte's S#412 designation flags this as a scarce type; surviving examples are few enough that auction appearances remain genuinely infrequent.