author
count of Foix Gaston III Phoebus
1331–1391
A powerful fourteenth-century ruler in the Pyrenees, he balanced between France and England during the Hundred Years' War and turned Foix-Béarn into a rich, independent-minded court. He is also remembered for writing one of the Middle Ages' most famous books on hunting.
1 Audiobook
The Master of Game: The Oldest English Book on Hunting
by of Norwich Edward, count of Foix Gaston III Phoebus
About the author
Born in 1331, Gaston III of Foix—better known as Gaston Phébus or Phoebus—became count of Foix and viscount of Béarn while still young. Medieval chroniclers and later historians remember him as an energetic, charismatic prince whose lands sat in a strategic position between Gascony and Languedoc.
During his rule from 1343 until his death in 1391, he strengthened his territories and took advantage of the shifting politics of the Hundred Years' War to preserve a remarkable degree of independence. His court at Orthez became known for its wealth and splendor, and his name was widely known in his own lifetime.
He also left a literary legacy through the Livre de chasse (Book of the Hunt), a celebrated hunting treatise written late in his life. That work helped keep his reputation alive long after his death, linking him not only with war and politics, but also with courtly culture and the practical world of medieval hunting.