In Flanders the first gold coins were struck in 1357, under the rule of Count Louis II.[3] Both the coins issued by him are copied directly from French types----his _real au lion_ from the French _écu_ of Philip IV., and his _mouton d'or_ from the French coin of the same name. And it was the same French original which furnished the types to William V., Count of Holland (1356-77), when he followed the fashion and coined gold. Of the six types minted by Count William during his reign, two are an imitation of the French _mouton_, and the last is derived from the universally prevailing type, the florin. [Sidenote: GOLD COINAGE IN SPAIN AND ENGLAND] In Spain the first coining of gold by the Christian powers fell in the same epoch and derived from the same source. Alfonso XI. (1312-50), surnamed the "Noble," was the first King of Castille who coined the _oro gran modulo_ (_doblas de oro_), while in Aragon Pedro IV. (1336-87), "the Ceremonious," in his _oro florines_ directly imitated the Florentine type, though his later pieces are more original in design. Finally, with regard to England,--to whose monetary history a central importance attaches,--the course of events was most evidently controlled by the revolution in the continental currencies. It is, at the same time, comparatively easy to ascertain. The first of our kings to issue gold coins was Henry III., who in 1257 coined a penny of fine gold, of the weight of two silver pennies of the time, and ordered it to be current for twenty pence.