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1/2 Gold Écu 'with Eagle' - Louis II de Male
| Issuer | County of Flanders |
|---|---|
| Year | 1352-1353 |
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| Currency | Groot (864-1506) |
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| Obverse description | Louis II de Male, Count of Flanders, is depicted enthroned in full frontal view beneath an ornate Gothic canopy with trefoil arches, wearing a crown and holding a sceptre in his right hand while supporting a shield of arms on his left. The count is shown in elaborate robes, flanked by Gothic architectural elements including turrets and columns rendered in fine relief. An eagle — the heraldic symbol associated with this issue — appears prominently in the lower field below the throne, flanked by decorative crosses. The entire composition is enclosed within a beaded inner circle, with the circumscribed legend in uncial Gothic lettering separated by double saltires. The exergue below the throne carries a continuation of the titular legend identifying the issuer as Count and Lord of Flanders. |
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| Reverse description | The reverse displays a bold floriated cross pattée at centre, with fleurs-de-lis terminals and trefoil ornaments filling each of the four angles between the arms, all set within a quadrilobe formed by four lobed arcs. The cross is rendered in high relief with intricate Gothic decorative detail, characteristic of mid-fourteenth-century Flemish hammered gold coinage. The entire central motif is contained within a beaded inner circle. The circumscribed legend in uncial Gothic lettering, separated by double annelet stops, carries the traditional Carolingian christological acclamation attributing sovereignty to Christ. |
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| Additional information |
Louis II de Male struck this coin during a period of acute political pressure from both France and England — Flanders, as a cloth-manufacturing economy dependent on English wool, was perpetually caught between the two crowns. The eagle type reflects a deliberate imperial alignment, distancing the issue visually from French monetary influence at a moment when Louis was actively resisting Valois dominance following his father's death at Crécy in 1346.
The .969 fineness is exceptionally high for a mid-14th century Flemish issue and points to a mint attempting to compete directly with Florentine and French gold on the international merchant circuit.