Matthew ( 1363 – 1398) was a

count of Foix The Count of Foix ruled the County of Foix, in what is now Southern France, during the Middle Ages. The House of Foix eventually extended its power across the Pyrenees mountain range, joining the House of Bearn and moving their court to Pau in B ...

and viscount of Béarn. He was son of Roger-Bernard V of Foix viscount of Castelbon and Géraude de Navailles. In 1391 he succeeded

Gaston Phoebus 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, G ...

, his first cousin once removed, as count. He asserted the sovereignty of

Béarn Béarn (; ; or ''Biarn''; or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in Southwestern France. Along with the three Northern Basque Country, ...

and, as son-in-law of

John I John I may refer to: People Religious figures * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John I of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope from 496 to 505 * Pope John I, P ...

, contested the

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon (, ) ;, ; ; . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of Barcelona (later Principality of Catalonia) and ended as a consequence of the War of the Sp ...

with John's brother

Martin I Martin I may refer to: * Pope Martin I (c. 590/600–655), bishop of Rome 649–655 * Martin I (bishop of Oviedo) (died 1101) * Martin I (archbishop of Gniezno) (died after 1112) * Martin I of Aragon (1356–1410) * Martin I of Sicily (1374/6–1 ...

from 1396. He and his wife,

Joanna Joanna is a feminine given name deriving from from . Variants in English include Joan, Joann, Joanne, and Johanna. Other forms of the name in English are Jan, Jane, Janet, Janice, Jean, and Jeanne. The earliest recorded occurrence of th ...

, had no children.

Accession to office

Despite his pursuit for sovereignty, Gaston Phoebus ultimately bequeathed the lordship of Béarn to the king of France. On 8 August 1391, Béarnese leaders duly gathered in

Orthez Orthez (; ; , ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, and region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. It lies 40 km NW of Pau on the Southern railway to Bayonne. The town also encompasses the small village of Sai ...

and designated representatives, establishing the Estates-General of Béarn. They also elected Matthew de Castellbo as new legitimate lord of Béarn, also imposing on him the need to obtain from the king of France, Charles VI, the renunciation of the recent Treaty of Toulouse whereby the French monarch would gain access to the lordship of Béarn. Matthew manoeuvred quickly in this respect, obtaining early on his recognition by

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward, Prince of Wales (later known as the Black Prince), and Joan, Countess of Kent. R ...

, king of England, and Charles VI, king of France, as lord of Béarn.

References

, - , - , - 1360s births 1398 deaths 14th-century princes of Andorra House of Foix Counts of Foix Viscounts of Béarn Viscounts of Lautrec 14th-century French nobility 14th-century Aragonese nobility Christians of the Barbary Crusade {{Spain-noble-stub