Charles I of Savoy ruled during a period of acute financial strain and shifting political allegiances between France and the Italian states, and his billon issues reflect the duchy's chronic shortage of quality silver. The debasement visible in pieces of this type was not incidental — Savoyard minting policy through the 1480s deliberately reduced fineness to sustain output while the duchy's revenues were squeezed by French pressure and internal factional conflict.
The Dy féodales reference places this squarely among the feudal fractional coinage catalogued by Duplessy, a series notorious for attribution difficulties due to overlapping types across reigns.
Charles I of Savoy ruled during a period of acute financial strain and shifting political allegiances between France and the Italian states, and his billon issues reflect the duchy's chronic shortage of quality silver. The debasement visible in pieces of this type was not incidental — Savoyard minting policy through the 1480s deliberately reduced fineness to sustain output while the duchy's revenues were squeezed by French pressure and internal factional conflict.
The Dy féodales reference places this squarely among the feudal fractional coinage catalogued by Duplessy, a series notorious for attribution difficulties due to overlapping types across reigns.