Florin - Louis of Piedmont

Louis of Piedmont — properly Luigi di Savoia, Lord of Vaud — ruled a fragmented territory wedged between the expanding Duchy of Savoy and the fractious Lombard communes, issuing this florin in direct imitation of the Florentine model that had dominated European trade since the 1250s. The choice was not aesthetic deference but commercial necessity: merchants across the alpine passes demanded a recognizable gold weight standard, and Piedmontese lords who refused to comply found their coinage refused at market.

The slightly reduced weight against the classic Florentine 3.54 g standard is consistent across Louis's issues and likely reflects the fiscal pressures of a minor lord working with constrained bullion supplies.