Gaston III of Foix-Béarn

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gaston III of Foix-Béarn, also Gaston Fébus or Gaston Phoebus (April 30, 1331 - 1391) was the 11th count of Foix, and viscount of Béarn (1343-1391).

He was born in Orthez, the son of Gaston II (1308-1343) and his wife Aliénor. He married Agnès (1334-1396), daughter of Philip III of Navarre and Joan II of Navarre.

Béarn had passed to the county of Foix in 1290. Count Gaston III Fébus paid homage to the king for his own county, but refused to give homage for Béarn, which he claimed as an independent fief, with its chief seat his stronghold at Pau, a site that had been fortified by the 11th century, which was later made the official capital of Béarn Province in 1464.

Jean Froissart recorded the splendour of the court of Orthez under Gaston Fébus in the latter half of the 14th century. Gaston recorded the three "special delights" of his life as "arms, love and hunting"; he wrote an important treatise on the latter entitled Livre de chasse.

He was succeeded as count of Foix by Mathieu of Foix-Castelbon.