Gold Ecu - Amadeus VII

Amadeus VII, called "the Red Count" for his ruddy complexion, ruled Savoy from 1383 until his death in 1391 under circumstances that were almost immediately considered suspicious — his mother Bonne de Bourbon was accused of poisoning him, though the accusation was almost certainly politically motivated. His reign coincided with the Great Schism, and Savoy's position between French and Imperial spheres made every fiscal and monetary decision a diplomatic act. This ecu reflects that pressure: a small Alpine county maintaining the visual and weight conventions of major French royal gold to ensure acceptance across competing political zones.