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Gold Florin - Gaston Phoebus
| Issuer | Béarn, Lordship of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1343-1391 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 3.5 g |
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| Obverse description | A large fleur-de-lis occupies the central field, rendered in high relief in the Florentine tradition, with elaborately stylized petals and foliations radiating from a central stem. A lozenge-shaped decorative element surmounts the uppermost petal, and globular ornaments punctuate the design at intervals. The circumference is bordered by a beaded inner circle, with the Latin legend distributed around the periphery of the field. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Gaston III, count of Foix and lord of Béarn, minted these florins under the autonomous monetary rights of Béarn — rights the lordship defended fiercely against both French and English pressure throughout the Hundred Years' War. Béarn's unusual status as a sovereign viscounty technically outside the French crown's direct jurisdiction gave Gaston the legal standing to strike gold independently, which he did with evident enthusiasm across a nearly five-decade reign.
Gaston died in 1391 during a bear hunt, struck by his own son's spear in an incident that remains historically murky.