Teston - Henri II and Marguerite of Valois 4 Arms shield

Béarn occupied a peculiar constitutional position in the late sixteenth century — nominally subject to the French crown yet governed under its own laws and customs, with its rulers holding the title of sovereign lords rather than mere vassals. The 1577 teston belongs to the reign of Henri de Navarre, the future Henri IV of France, issued jointly in the names of himself and his mother Jeanne d'Albret's memory, or more precisely reflecting the dynastic pairing conventions of the house of Albret. Béarnese silver coinage of this period was struck at the Pau mint.

Dy féodales 1317 is among the scarcer feudal teston attributions from the southwest, and examples with full flan integrity are not easily sourced.