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1/2 Gold Ecu - Francis Phoebus
| Issuer | Béarn, Lordship of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1479-1483 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 1.62 g |
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| Obverse description | Central shield of Béarn bearing two cows passant, enclosed within a raised inner circle. The field between the inner circle and the outer border carries the Gothic majuscule legend. The design is characteristic of late medieval feudal coinage, struck on an irregular flan with typical hammer-die relief. The shield is rendered in a simplified heraldic style consistent with 15th-century Gascon minting practice. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Francis Phoebus ruled Béarn for only four years before dying in 1483 at age nineteen, almost certainly poisoned — his death conveniently clearing the way for his sister Catherine to inherit, and ultimately drawing Navarre into the orbit of Ferdinand and Isabella. These half écus, struck across his short reign, are among the few physical artifacts of a lordship that would itself be absorbed into France over a century later under Henri IV.