Gaston III/X 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). Officially, he was Gaston III of Foix and Gaston X of Béarn.
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Early life
He was born in Orthez, the son of Gaston II/IX (1308-1343) and his wife Eleanore de Comminges.
Count of Foix
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.
He was succeeded as count of Foix by Mathieu of Foix-Castelbon.
Records of Jean Froissart
In the 1380s, Jean Froissart visited the County of Foix. He recorded the splendor 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.
Livre de chasse (Book of the Hunt)
Livre de chasse was written by Gaston Phoebus between 1387 and 1388. It was dedicated to Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. Recorded in the book are different stages of hunting and hunting different animals. THe book also describes animal behavior.
Marriage and Children
Gaston Phoebus married Agnès (1334-1396), daughter of Philip III of Navarre and Joan II of Navarre in 1348. Together they had a son named Gaston.
Betrayal of the Count's son
As Jean Froissart recorded, Gaston Phoebus's son Gaston betrayed him. Gaston tried to poison his father using a powder that he got from King Charles II of Navarre. Gaston was caught and imprisoned by his father. Later on, Gaston was accidentally stabbed and killed by his father during a quarrel. [1] After Gaston died, Gaston Phoebus had no legitimate heir. In 1393, in Paris at a masquerade given by Queen consort Isabeau of Bavaria, one of Gaston Phoebus's four recorded illegitimate sons, Yvain de Foix was burned to death when his costume caught fire from a torch. The other performers died as well. This masquerade came to be known as the Bal des Ardents[2]
See also
- Se Canta, an Occitan song attributed to Gaston Fébus.
- Castle of Foix
- Counts of Foix
- Andorra
- Château de Mauvezin
Notes
References
- Barbara W. Tuchman . A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century (Paperback). Publ. Published on May, (2001), by Wayne A. Smith ISBN 9780345289308.
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| Preceded by Gaston II of Foix - Bearne |
Count of Foix 1343-1391 |
Succeeded by Mathieu of Foix-Castelbon |
| Preceded by Gaston II of Foix - Bearne |
Co-Prince of Andorra 1343-1391 |
Succeeded by Mathieu of Foix-Castelbon |
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