Rider 'Franc à Cheval' - Louis II de Male

Issued by Louis II de Male, Count of Flanders, this franc à cheval was struck in direct imitation of the French royal franc introduced by John II in 1360 — itself created to fund the king's own ransom after his capture at Poitiers. De Male's adoption of the type reflects his careful positioning between French and English political pressures, maintaining economic ties to France while Flemish cloth towns remained commercially dependent on English wool.

The Ghent mint handled the bulk of production. Delmonte's sequencing of this type within the 1361–1364 window remains the standard attribution, though precise die studies have not resolved annual output figures.