The franc à pied was originally a royal French issue introduced by Jean II in 1360, struck to fund his ransom following capture at Poitiers. Joanna I of Naples, as Countess of Provence, adopted the type for her own county's coinage — a practice permitted under the loose monetary conventions governing French vassal territories but one that blurred royal and comital authority in ways that periodically drew objections from Paris.
Joanna's long reign in Provence ended with her murder in 1382, ordered by her cousin Charles of Durazzo. The 5th type represents the final phase of her Provençal gold production.
The franc à pied was originally a royal French issue introduced by Jean II in 1360, struck to fund his ransom following capture at Poitiers. Joanna I of Naples, as Countess of Provence, adopted the type for her own county's coinage — a practice permitted under the loose monetary conventions governing French vassal territories but one that blurred royal and comital authority in ways that periodically drew objections from Paris.
Joanna's long reign in Provence ended with her murder in 1382, ordered by her cousin Charles of Durazzo. The 5th type represents the final phase of her Provençal gold production.