Charles III of Navarre

Who was Charles III of Navarre?

Charles III, called the Noble, was King of Navarre from 1387 to his death and Count of Évreux from 1387 to 1404, when he exchanged it for the title Duke of Nemours. He spent his reign improving the infrastructure of his kingdom, restoring Navarre's pride after the dismal reign of his father, Charles the Bad, and mending strained relations with France.

Charles III was born at Mantes-la-Jolie. He married Eleanor, daughter of Henry II of Castile, in 1375, putting an end to the conflict between Castile and Navarre.

As king, his politics were peace with France, Castile, Aragon, and England, support for the Avignon Papacy, and matrimonial alliance. He collaborated with Castile in a war on the Kingdom of Granada. By the Treaty of Paris, he abandoned his claims to Champagne and Brie and made peace with France.

In 1413, he created the Cort, a sort of supreme court. He created the title Prince of Viana for the heir to the throne, entitling his grandson Charles in 1423. He was a patron of the arts and he finished construction on the great Gothic Cathedral of Pamplona. He built the royal palace at Tafalla and the Palacio Real de Olite, where he died in 1425.