Jean de Luxembourg, Count of Luxembourg and King of Bohemia, struck these small silver pieces during a reign that spanned the courts of central Europe. The esterlin — a denomination borrowed directly from the English sterling tradition and widely copied across the Low Countries in the early fourteenth century — was part of Jean's effort to integrate Luxembourg's coinage into the broader commercial currency of the region. He died at Crécy in 1346, blind for over a decade, led into battle by a knight so he could strike at least one blow. His horse was found tethered to the horses of his dead companions the following morning.
Jean de Luxembourg, Count of Luxembourg and King of Bohemia, struck these small silver pieces during a reign that spanned the courts of central Europe. The esterlin — a denomination borrowed directly from the English sterling tradition and widely copied across the Low Countries in the early fourteenth century — was part of Jean's effort to integrate Luxembourg's coinage into the broader commercial currency of the region. He died at Crécy in 1346, blind for over a decade, led into battle by a knight so he could strike at least one blow. His horse was found tethered to the horses of his dead companions the following morning.