
Gaston I of Foix or Gaston VIII of Foix-Béarn (1287 – 13 December 1315 in
Maubuisson) was the 9th
Count of Foix, the 22nd
Viscount of Béarn
A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a Title#Aristocratic titles, title used in certain European countries for a nobility, noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty.
In the case ...
and
Co-Prince of Andorra.
Biography
He was a son of
Roger-Bernard III, Count of Foix and
Margaret of Béarn
Margaret of Béarn – also known as Margaret or Marguerite of Montcada (c. 1245–1250 – c. 1319) was a noblewoman, who ruled (with her husband or for her son's) lands near the Pyrenees mountains and in the southwestern part of present-day ...
, the eldest daughter and heiress of
Gaston VII of Béarn. He succeeded his father in 1302 as Count Gaston I of Foix and Viscount Gaston VIII of Béarn, first under the regency of his mother.
He was probably present at the
Battle of the Golden Spurs
The Battle of the Golden Spurs (; ) or 1302 Battle of Courtrai was a military confrontation between the royal army of Kingdom of France, France and rebellious forces of the County of Flanders on 11 July 1302 during the 1297–1305 Franco-Flem ...
in 1302, and fought again for the King of France against the Flemish at the
Battle of Mons-en-Pévèle in 1304. When the cities of his County of Foix rebelled against the Royal tax collectors, because they raised the taxes to finance the expensive war against Flanders, Gaston supported his cities. For this, the County was confiscated for a while by the
Senechal of
Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a French defensive wall, fortified city in the Departments of France, department of Aude, Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania. It is the prefectures in France, prefecture of the department.
...
.
In 1308, he started a war against the
Count of Armagnac
The following is a list of rulers of the County of Armagnac:
House d'Armagnac, House of Armagnac
*William of Fesenzac, William Count of Fézensac and Armagnac ?–960
*Bernard the Suspicious, first count privative of Armagnac 960–?
*Gerald ...
, against the orders of the King, who had forbidden intra-French warfare. Gaston was taken prisoner and locked up in the
Châtelet. He was only released after paying a ransom of 36,000 livres. He also had armed conflicts with his uncle
James II of Majorca
James II () (31 May 1243 – 29 May 1311) was King of Majorca and Lord of Montpellier from 1276 until his death. He was the second son of James I of Aragon and his wife, Violant, daughter of Andrew II of Hungary. In 1279, by the Treaty of Perp ...
and even with his own mother, who firmly ruled Foix during his many absences.
In 1310, he inherited the Viscounty of Marsan from his aunt Constance of Moncada. When another uncle,
Ermengol X, Count of Urgell, died without a male heir, Gaston claimed the
County of Urgell
The County of Urgell (, ; ) is one of the historical Catalan counties, bordering on the counties of County of Pallars, Pallars and Cerdanya.
History
The county of Urgell was carved by the Franks out of a former section of the Mark of Toulouse w ...
, but was no match against King
Alfonso IV of Aragon
Alfonso IV (2 November 1299 – 24 January 1336), called the Kind (also ''the Gentle'' or ''the Nice'', ), was King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona (as Alfons III) from 1327 to his death. His reign saw the incorporation of the County of Urgell ...
, who incorporated Urgell into 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 ...
.
On his return from yet another war against Flanders, Gaston fell ill and died in the
Maubuisson Abbey, near
Pontoise
Pontoise () is a commune north of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the "new town" of Cergy-Pontoise.
Administration
Pontoise is the official (capital) of the Val-d'Oise '' département'', although in reality the ' ...
.
His body was transferred to the Boulbonne Abbey, where it was buried alongside his ancestors. Some records state he was buried in the now-demolished church of the
Couvent des Jacobins in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
.
Marriage and children
Gaston married in 1301
Joan of Artois (1289-1350), daughter of
Philip of Artois and
Blanche of Brittany. They had:
*
Gaston II de Foix, Count of Foix, Viscount of Béarn (1308 – 26 September 1343).
*
Roger Bernard IV de Foix (1310 – after 24 March 1350), married Constanza de Luna (1310 – January 1353), daughter of Artal de Luna, by whom he had three children.
* Robert de Foix, Bishop of Lavaur
* Margaret of Foix
* Blanche de Foix, married in 1328 Jean de Grailly, Viscount of Castillon,
Captal de Buch, by whom she had two children, including
Jean III de Grailly, Captal de Buch.
* Joan of Foix (died 1358), married Infante
Peter of Aragon, Count of Ribagorza y Ampurias, by whom she had three children, including
Eleanor of Aragon, Queen of Cyprus
file:Barcelona Cathedral Interior - Royal tombs in the Cathedral of Barcelona - The Queens.jpg, Her tomb in Barcelona
Eleanor of Aragon (1333 – 26 December 1417) was List of Cypriot consorts, Queen consort of Cyprus by marriage to Peter I of Cy ...
.
References
Sources
*
*
Further reading
*https://web.archive.org/web/20120201170136/http://www.foixstory.com/data/comtes/10.htm (In French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaston 01 Of Foix-Bearn
14th-century princes of Andorra
Counts of Foix
1287 births
1315 deaths
Occitan nobility
House of Foix
Viscounts of Béarn