Gulden - Charles of Egmont punctuation by lilies

Charles of Egmont spent nearly his entire reign fighting to keep Guelders independent — first against the Habsburgs, then against Burgundian pressure, repeatedly leveraging French alliances to survive. The gulden series punctuated by lilies reflects that French connection directly; the fleur-de-lis was not decorative convention but a deliberate political signal of where Charles's loyalties and military backing lay. He remains the last Duke of Guelders to exercise genuine sovereignty, and his death in 1538 ended the duchy's independence within months.