Sterling - Gaucher V of Châtillon

Gaucher V de Châtillon held Florennes as part of a sprawling inheritance that also made him Constable of France under Philip IV and Philip V — one of the most powerful military offices in the kingdom. That position gave him both the political cover and the economic incentive to strike imitative sterlings in the Low Countries style, exploiting the chronic shortage of small silver that plagued the region in the early fourteenth century. Florennes sat precisely on the fault line between French royal monetary authority and the looser seigneurial minting traditions of the southern Low Countries.

The Boudeau 2171 attribution is occasionally confused with related Châtillon issues from neighboring lordships. Verify the die details carefully before committing to the reference.