Gaston III, Count of Foix

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Gaston III
Count of Foix Viscount of Béarn Viscount of Marsan Prince of Andorra
Fébus hunting the hare, miniature by the Bedford Master, taken from the Livre de chasse, circa 1407, Paris, BnF, Fr.616, f° 89 v°.
Predecessor	Gaston II, Count of Foix
Successor	Matthew, Count of Foix
Known for	Livre de chasse (Book of the Hunt)
Born	30 April 1331 Orthez, France
Died	1 August 1391 (1391-09) (aged 60) L'Hôpital-d'Orion
Spouse(s)	Agnes of Navarre ​ ​ (m. 1349; sep. 1362)​
Issue	Legitimate: Gaston, Prince and Heir of Foix-Béarn Illegitimate: Bernal de Foix, 1st Count of Medinaceli Yvain de Foix [fr] Gratien de Foix
Father	Gaston II, Count of Foix
Mother	Eleanor of Comminges
Signature

Gaston III, known as Gaston Phoebus or Fébus (30 April 1331 – 1 August 1391), was the eleventh Count of Foix (as Gaston III) and twenty-fourth Viscount of Béarn (as Gaston X) from 1343 until his death.

Due to his ancestral inheritance, Gaston III was overlord of about ten territories located between the Pays de Gascogne [fr] and Languedoc. He took advantage of the Hundred Years' War to establish his domination over the northern Pyrenean foothills [fr], playing on the conflicts between French and English monarchies. He authored the Livre de chasse, a famous illustrated manuscript on hunting.

The only legitimate child of Gaston II, Count of Foix and Eleanor of Comminges [fr], Gaston inherited a fragmented territory that partly depended on the kings of France and the kings of England. Playing on the Franco-English conflict, he claimed sovereignty over Béarn on 25 September 1347. He won decisive victories against the House of Armagnac (the ancestral enemies of his house), thus ensuring the union between Béarn and Foix. Gaston's nickname Fébus refers to the solar myth associated with the Greco-Roman god Apollo (also named Phoibos). Gaston left no legitimate issue, as he had likely killed his only son in 1380 for plotting his downfall.

Gaston constructed and strengthened several fortresses during his long career. Endowed with immense wealth, Gaston III notably built the Château de Montaner to symbolize the union between Béarn and Foix. Known as the Prince of the Pyrenees, Gaston ruled as an enlightened despot, playing the role of lord protector for his people. Gaston III occupies a special place in Pyrenean history due to his political and military activities, but also from the impact of the stories of several chroniclers and contemporaries, including Jean Froissart in his Chronicles.