John III of Navarre

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John III of Navarre, also known as Jean d'Albret (1469 – 1516), became King of Navarre by virtue of his 1484 marriage to Catherine, Countess of Foix (1470-1517), Queen of Navarre since the death of her brother Francis Phoebus in 1483.

In 1512, Jean d'Albret was defeated by Ferdinand II of Aragon, whose second wife was Germaine de Foix (1490-1538), a cousin of Queen Catherine. Navarre south of the Pyrenees was annexed by the victorious Ferdinand and remained a domain of the Kings of Spain, who also bore the title of Kings of Navarre, until 1833, when it was completely integrated into Spain. Lower Navarre remained with John and his successors as Kings of Navarre, increasingly under French influence. After King Henry of Navarre had mounted the French throne in 1589, he and his successors styled themselves Kings of France and Navarre until the French Revolution merged Lower Navarre with France.