Publisher Description

Relates the colourful life of 'enlightened despot' Gaston III, count of Foix, an enigmatic and brilliant figure in a turbulent period.The reign of Gaston III, Count of Foix and self-proclaimed sovereign Lord of Bearn, stands out as one of the rare success stories of the `calamitous' fourteenth century. By playing a skilful game of shifting allegiances and timelydefiance, he avoided being drawn into the conflicts between his more powerful neighbours - France and English Aquitaine, Aragon and Castile -- thus sparing his domains the devastations of warfare. Best known as a patron of thearts, and the author of a celebrated Book of the Hunt, Febus - as he styled himself - also prefigures the eighteenth-century `enlightened despots' with his effort to centralize government, protect natural resources and promote enterprise. But a sequence of mysterious tragedies -- the abrupt dismissal of his wife, the slaying of his only legitimate son - reveal the dark side of the brilliant and enigmatic `Sun Prince of the Pyrenees'.RICHARD VERNIER is Professor Emeritus of Romance Languages and Literatures, Wayne State University. He is the author of The Flower of Chivalry: Bertrand du Guesclin and the Hundred Years War.

Author Biography

Richard Vernier is Professor Emeritus, Romance Languages and Literatures, Wayne State University.

Table of Contents

InheritanceApprenticeshipTrials and TribulationsFébus RevealedChallenges and DesignsGoverning WiselyFébus at HomeFébus, the AuthorThe Orthez MysteryEndgameDeath, and the SpoilsAppendix I: Bernard de Béarn, Count of MedinaceliBibliography

Review

Provides a useful addition to the secondary literature in English, a well-written account of the man and a perceptive overview of his times. * SPECULUM *
As is typical of this publisher, the volume is beautifully produced and bound. [...] This is a scholarly history but because Vernier is a gifted story-teller, the volume will be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in the Middle Ages. * SCITECH BOOKS *

Review Text

Provides a useful addition to the secondary literature in English, a well-written account of the man and a perceptive overview of his times. SPECULUM As is typical of this publisher, the volume is beautifully produced and bound. [...] This is a scholarly history but because Vernier is a gifted story-teller, the volume will be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in the Middle Ages. SCITECH BOOKS

Review Quote

Provides a useful addition to the secondary literature in English, a well-written account of the man and a perceptive overview of his times. SPECULUM As is typical of this publisher, the volume is beautifully produced and bound. [...] This is a scholarly history but because Vernier is a gifted story-teller, the volume will be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in the Middle Ages. SCITECH BOOKS

Details