John of Foix, Viscount of Narbonne


John of Foix was a younger son of Count Gaston IV of Foix and Queen Eleanor of Navarre. His elder brother was Gaston, Prince of Viana.

Life

He received the Viscounty of Narbonne from his father. He was on good terms with both Louis XI of France and Louis XII of France. He married Marie of Orléans, sister of Louis XII, in 1476. They had two children:
Following the death of his nephew, King Francis of Navarre in 1483, John claimed Navarre as the next male in the succession, challenging Francis' sister and heiress, Queen Catherine. Although the Salic law had never been enforced in the Kingdom of Navarre, the result of this claim was a civil war in Navarre, which only ended in Catherine's favour in 1497, with John being forced to give up his claim. He died three years later.

Ancestry