count of Foix Gaston III Phoebus

Born in 1331, Gaston III of Foix-Béarn ruled as Count of Foix and Viscount of Béarn during a turbulent stretch of the Hundred Years’ War. Nicknamed "Fébus" or "Phoebus," he built a reputation as an independent and strikingly capable prince, balancing powerful neighbors while strengthening his own lands in the Pyrenees.

He was also a man of letters. His Livre de chasse became one of the most famous hunting treatises of the medieval world, admired for its practical detail and the vivid picture it gives of aristocratic life, animals, and the culture of the hunt.

That mix of force, intelligence, and literary ambition has kept his name alive long after his death in 1391. He remains one of the most memorable figures of fourteenth-century southern France, known both for his command in politics and war and for leaving behind a work that continued to be read for generations.