Chronicles

In 1388, Froissart stayed at the court of Count Gaston-Phoebus of Foix at the town of Béarn. There, he presented the count with Meliador, a collection of songs and ballads written by Wenceslas of Bohemia, Duke of Luxembourg and Brabant, and collected by Froissart. The count is praised by Froissart, who described him as “so accomplished in every way that it would be impossible to praise him too highly” (264). Also, Froissart observed that he was fastidious about financial matters, enjoyed music and poetry, and showed more “enthusiasm for deeds of arms” (266) than any of the other courts he stayed at.

Froissart learns what happened to the count’s son, Gaston. According to the story, the count and his wife became estranged because he held as a hostage the Lord of Albret and refused at first to release Albret without a ransom from Charles the Bad, who happened to be his wife’s brother. Charles the Bad did not make the expected payment. When Charles the Bad still refused to pay even after the count’s wife visited him in Navarre, the count’s wife remained there, correctly understanding that her husband would blame her.

When the count’s young son and heir Gaston visited his mother and Charles the Bad in Navarre, Charles gave him a powder he claimed would cause his father to fall back in love with his mother.