Rider 'Franc à Cheval' - Louis II de Male

Louis de Male inherited Flanders in 1346 and spent much of his reign navigating the competing pressures of the French crown and his own wool-dependent merchant towns, which had strong economic incentives to maintain ties with England. The franc à cheval design itself was borrowed directly from the French royal type introduced by John II in 1360 — a deliberate political signal of Capetian-Valois alignment, though Louis's relationship with France remained persistently transactional.

The Ghent revolt of 1379–1385, led by Philip van Artevelde, severely disrupted Flemish mint operations in the final years of this issue's production run.