Gold Rider - Charles III

Charles III ruled Savoy through one of its most catastrophic periods — the duchy was repeatedly invaded and occupied by France, with Francis I seizing Turin in 1536 and holding much of the territory until the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis in 1559, six years after Charles died. For much of his reign, Charles controlled little more than a rump state centered on Nice and Vercelli, which makes sustained mint activity across the full 1504–1553 span considerably less continuous than the date range implies.

The "Rider" type takes its name from the equestrian design tradition common to Burgundian and Savoyard gold issues. Charles inherited this coinage format from his father Philibert II.