Gaston IV, Count of Foix
Encyclopedia
Gaston IV, Count of Foix, Viscount of Béarn (27 November 1422 - 25 July/28 July 1472) was a French nobleman from Bearn
, who founded a brief-ruling dynastic house of the Kingdom of Navarre
.
He was a son of John I, Count of Foix
and Jeanne d'Albret. His maternal grandparents were Charles d'Albret
, Constable of France
and co-commander of the French army, killed at the Battle of Agincourt
, and his wife Marie de Sully.
Gaston married the Navarrese Infanta, Leonor
, in 1436. Her parents were John II
and Blanche I
of Navarre
. At the time, Leonor appeared to have few prospects: her father was a younger son and brother of the Kings of Aragon, and Leonor had a brother, Charles of Viana
, and an older sister, Blanca
, standing between herself and the inheritance of Navarre. However, family dissent and death eliminated both Charles and Blanca; Leonor's father usurped the Navarrese throne, to which he added in 1458 the throne of Aragon (his older brother having died without legitimate children), and, following the deaths of Charles and Blanca, promised the inheritance of Navarre to Leonor and her husband in return for their loyalty to him, which was given.
They had eight children:
Béarn
Béarn is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Basque provinces of Soule, Lower Navarre, and Labourd, the principality of Bidache, as well as small parts of Gascony, it forms in the...
, who founded a brief-ruling dynastic house of the Kingdom of Navarre
Kingdom of Navarre
The Kingdom of Navarre , originally the Kingdom of Pamplona, was a European kingdom which occupied lands on either side of the Pyrenees alongside the Atlantic Ocean....
.
He was a son of John I, Count of Foix
John I, Count of Foix
John I, Count of Foix also known as Jean de Foix-Grailly was Count of Foix from 1428 until his death in 1436. He succeeded his mother Isabella, Countess of Foix...
and Jeanne d'Albret. His maternal grandparents were Charles d'Albret
Charles d'Albret
Charles d'Albret was Constable of France from 1402 until 1411, and again from 1413 until 1415. He was also the co-commander of the French army at the Battle of Agincourt where he was killed by the English forces led by King Henry V....
, Constable of France
Constable of France
The Constable of France , as the First Officer of the Crown, was one of the original five Great Officers of the Crown of France and Commander in Chief of the army. He, theoretically, as Lieutenant-general of the King, outranked all the nobles and was second-in-command only to the King...
and co-commander of the French army, killed at the Battle of Agincourt
Battle of Agincourt
The Battle of Agincourt was a major English victory against a numerically superior French army in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred on Friday, 25 October 1415 , near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France...
, and his wife Marie de Sully.
Gaston married the Navarrese Infanta, Leonor
Eleanor of Navarre
Eleanor of Aragon , Regent and the queen regnant of Navarre in 1479...
, in 1436. Her parents were John II
John II of Aragon
John II the Faithless, also known as the Great was the King of Aragon from 1458 until 1479, and jure uxoris King of Navarre from 1425 until his death. He was the son of Ferdinand I and his wife Eleanor of Alburquerque...
and Blanche I
Blanche I of Navarre
Blanche I was Queen of Navarre from 1425 to 1441. She became queen regnant upon the death of her father King Charles III of Navarre...
of Navarre
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
. At the time, Leonor appeared to have few prospects: her father was a younger son and brother of the Kings of Aragon, and Leonor had a brother, Charles of Viana
Charles of Viana
Charles, Prince of Viana , sometimes called Charles IV of Navarre, was the son of King John II of Aragon and Queen Blanche I of Navarre.- Background :...
, and an older sister, Blanca
Blanche II of Navarre
Blanche II of Navarre , titular queen of Navarre, was the daughter of John II of Aragon and Blanche I of Navarre. She was also Princess of Asturias by marriage....
, standing between herself and the inheritance of Navarre. However, family dissent and death eliminated both Charles and Blanca; Leonor's father usurped the Navarrese throne, to which he added in 1458 the throne of Aragon (his older brother having died without legitimate children), and, following the deaths of Charles and Blanca, promised the inheritance of Navarre to Leonor and her husband in return for their loyalty to him, which was given.
They had eight children:
- Gaston de Foix (1443-1470), (sometimes called “Gaston V of Foix”), Viscount of Castelbon, prince of Viana (1462-1470), lieutenant general of Navarre (1469).
- Jean de Foix (1446-1500), Viscount of Narbonne (1468-1500), count d' Étampes (1478-1500). He claimed the throne of Navarre upon the death of his nephew François Phébus. He married in 1476 Marie of Orleans (1457-1493)
- Margaret de FoixMargaret of FoixMargaret of Foix, , was, by marriage, Duchess of Brittany from 1474 to 1486.She was the daughter of Queen Eleanor of Navarre and of Gaston IV, Count of Foix ....
(1449-1486), married on June 27, 1471 at Clisson Francis II, Duke of Brittany. They were parents of Anne of BrittanyAnne of BrittanyAnne, Duchess of Brittany , also known as Anna of Brittany , was a Breton ruler, who was to become queen to two successive French kings. She was born in Nantes, Brittany, and was the daughter of Francis II, Duke of Brittany and Margaret of Foix. Her maternal grandparents were Queen Eleanor of...
, twice queen of France as consort to both Charles VIII of FranceCharles VIII of FranceCharles VIII, called the Affable, , was King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. Charles was a member of the House of Valois...
and Louis XII of FranceLouis XII of FranceLouis proved to be a popular king. At the end of his reign the crown deficit was no greater than it had been when he succeeded Charles VIII in 1498, despite several expensive military campaigns in Italy. His fiscal reforms of 1504 and 1508 tightened and improved procedures for the collection of taxes...
. - Pierre de Foix (February 7, 1449 to August 10, 1490), (sometimes called “Pierre II of Foix”), called Pierre the Young, cardinal (1576), viceroy of Navarre (1479-1484)
- Marie de Foix (c.1452-1467)
- Jeanne de Foix (c.1454-c.1476), married in August 1469 in Lectoure, to Jean V of ArmagnacJean V of ArmagnacJohn V of Armagnac , the next-to-last Count of Armagnac of the older branch, was the controversial son of John IV of Armagnac and Isabella of Navarre, an emblem of 15th century aristocratic violence, treachery and indiscipline, a wildman from one of the most powerful virtually independent...
(1420-1473). - Catherine de Foix (c.1460-before 1494), married in 1469 Gaston de Foix, Count of CandaleGaston de Foix, Count of CandaleGaston de Foix Earl of Kendal and Count of Benauges, was a French nobleman in the last decades of the Middle Ages.He was a cadet member of the important Foix family in Southern France. He was a son of John de Foix, 1st Earl of Kendal and Margaret de la Pole...
(c.1440-1500), (sometimes called “Gaston II of Foix”).