| Catherine | |
|---|---|
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with John III |
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| Reign | 7 January 1483–12 February 1517 |
| Predecessor | Francis Phoebus |
| Successor | Henry II |
| Spouse | John III of Navarre |
| Issue | |
| Henry II of Navarre Isabella, Viscountess of Rohan |
|
| House | House of Foix |
| Father | Gaston of Foix, Prince of Viana |
| Mother | Magdalena of France |
| Born | 1468 |
| Died | 12 February 1517 |
Catherine (in Spanish, Catalina de Foix) (1468 – 12 February 1517) was Queen of Navarre (1483–1517), duchess of Gandia, Montblanc, and Peñafiel, countess of Foix, Bigorre, and Ribagorza, and viscountess of Béarn.[1]
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Catherine was the younger daughter of Gaston of Foix, Prince of Viana, and Magdalena of Valois, the sister of Louis XI. She was thus granddaughter of Eleanor of Navarre.
In 1483 the death of her brother Francis Phoebus made her queen under the regency of her mother. Her uncle John of Foix, appealing to the Salic Law, which had never been applied in Navarre, claimed the throne and ignited a civil war (1483–1492) that reignited the old Beaumontese-Agromontese conflict. In 1484, Catherine married John of Albret, duke of Gause. Her mother acted as her regent until 1494, when she was taken hostage by the king of Castile.
In 1504, the death of her mother as the hostage of Ferdinand the Catholic, Catherine's granduncle, in Medina del Campo provoked new wars between the Navarrese and the count of Lerín (1506–1508).
The political alliance between the houses of Valois and Foix led to marriage negotiations between Catherine and Louis XII. It was suggested that Henry, prince of Viana, first son and heir presumptive of Catherine, marry a daughter of the French king. These were the negotiations which led Ferdinand the Catholic to send the Duke of Alba to conquer Pamplona in 1512. On 25 July 1512, Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba, occupied Pamplona. The royal family fled to refuge in France.
On 23 March 1513, the Cortes of Navarre, reunited in Pamplona, proclaimed Ferdinand King of Navarre. Since then, Upper Navarre has been an integral part of Spain.
All subsequent attempts by Catherine and John III to reassemble their kingdom were futile. From 1513 to her death in 1517, Catherine was Queen in Basse-Navarre, or Lower Navarre, north of the Pyrenees, alone.
She and John III of Navarre were parents to thirteen children:
| Catherine of Navarre | Father: Gaston of Foix, Prince of Viana |
Paternal Grandfather: Gaston IV of Foix |
Paternal Great-grandfather: John I, Count of Foix |
| Paternal Great-grandmother: Joan of Albret |
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| Paternal Grandmother: Eleanor of Navarre |
Paternal Great-grandfather: John II of Aragon |
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| Paternal Great-grandmother: Blanche I of Navarre |
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| Mother: Magdalena of Valois |
Maternal Grandfather: Charles VII of France |
Maternal Great-grandfather: Charles VI of France |
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| Maternal Great-grandmother: Isabeau of Bavaria |
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| Maternal Grandmother: Marie of Anjou |
Maternal Great-grandfather: Louis II of Naples |
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| Maternal Great-grandmother: Yolande of Aragon |
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Catherine of Navarre
Born: 1468 Died: 1518 |
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| Preceded by Francis I |
Queen of Navarre 1483–1518 with John III |
Succeeded by Henry II |
| Countess of Foix 1483–1518 with John II |
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