{"product_id":"lord-of-the-pyrenees-gaston-febus-count-of-foix-1331-1391-9781843833567","title":"Lord of the Pyrenees: Gaston Fébus, Count of Foix [1331-1391]","description":"\u003cb\u003eRelates the colourful life of 'enlightened despot' Gaston III, count of Foix, an enigmatic and brilliant figure in a turbulent period.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe reign of Gaston III, Count of Foix and self-proclaimed sovereign Lord of Béarn, 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 \u003ci\u003eBook of the Hunt\u003c\/i\u003e, Fébus - 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'.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e RICHARD VERNIER is Professor Emeritus of Romance Languages and Literatures, Wayne State University. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Flower of Chivalry: Bertrand du Guesclin and the Hundred Years War\u003c\/i\u003e.","brand":"Richard Vernier","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48280612733179,"sku":"9781843833567","price":120.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0779\/3917\/9771\/files\/9781843833567.jpg?v=1772487470","url":"https:\/\/indiepubs.com\/products\/lord-of-the-pyrenees-gaston-febus-count-of-foix-1331-1391-9781843833567","provider":"IndiePubs","version":"1.0","type":"link"}