William I of Avesnes issued this half groat during an extraordinarily compressed window — his reign over Hainaut lasted barely two years before his death in 1337, though his comital authority was already complicated by his simultaneous claim to Holland and Zeeland following 1299, which pulled his political attention and resources northward. The "Eskielois" type takes its name from the écaillon or small shield motif, and belongs to a broader wave of Flemish-influenced groat fractions circulating in the southern Low Countries during the early fourteenth century.
The 1312–1313 dating places production within a period of intense monetary competition among Hainaut, Namur, and the Prince-Bishopric of Liège.
William I of Avesnes issued this half groat during an extraordinarily compressed window — his reign over Hainaut lasted barely two years before his death in 1337, though his comital authority was already complicated by his simultaneous claim to Holland and Zeeland following 1299, which pulled his political attention and resources northward. The "Eskielois" type takes its name from the écaillon or small shield motif, and belongs to a broader wave of Flemish-influenced groat fractions circulating in the southern Low Countries during the early fourteenth century.
The 1312–1313 dating places production within a period of intense monetary competition among Hainaut, Namur, and the Prince-Bishopric of Liège.