Queen Catherine de Navarre had married her husband in 1486 while still under the regency of her mother. His name was Jean d'Albret, a Frenchman. Through his mother he had since inherited the County of Périgord and the Viscounty of Limoges, and through his father he would be lifelong heir to the Lordship of Albret, though fate had decided he would never inherit it. When they consummated their marriage in 1491, Catherine's de facto rule began with Jean already at her side. There he would stay until June 14th, 1516, when, struck by terrible fevers, he passed away in the Royal Palace of Olite.

The bedridden king had been reduced to a weak husk over a week of sickness, despite only living to 47. He had the privilege, however, of dying in his own bed, in the arms of his wife. They had not slept together for 16 years; Catherine would have been unable to take another child. Nevertheless, they had remained close. They were strong businesspartners and friends who respected and admired each other, if love itself was a bit too fanciful to call what they had. Catherine found herself panicking, suddenly, as her tears streamed down and fell into her dead man's lap.

She had been an active queen. Jean, upon marrying into Navarre, had expected to rule a kingdom in his own right. He had been a bit nervous about it, but that soon turned to frustration when the regent Magdalena of Valois - Catherine's mother - refused to relinquish her power for five years straight. He was young, impetuous, and eager. At the same time, the nobility of Navarre were at each other's throats. Ferdinand II of Aragon claimed their throne. Immensely powerful kingdoms were conspiring over the future of Navarre. And he was relegated to playing husband with a powerless queen. When Magdalena finally left the picture, many had expected Jean to jump up, push Catherine to the background and assume the kingship jure uxoris - by right of his wife! They were surprised, perhaps, to find Jean perfectly house-trained by Catherine.

To say he was her lapdog is perhaps exaggerated. However, he had been taught his place well by Catherine who could be decisive when she wanted. She liked the Spaniards, for instance, where Jean would rather sit with the French. Letters he wrote were always signed off by Catherine first, Jean second. Letters Catherine wrote by herself omitted his name entirely. The Jean that first married Catherine would have been frustrated by this state of affairs, but after getting to know his wife, he changed his mind and respected her wishes. There were no games of intrigue where one would try to hide things from the other; they worked together instead. Jean often travelled, to Toledo, to Blois, even to Italy, to be wherever a king of Navarre was most needed. At the same time, he could rely on Catherine to travel their many courts in Navarre and France, keep up appearances and oversee their holdings.

So Catherine, who had initially struggled to keep the impetuous young Jean from taking over her kingdom, now found herself without her most loyal, understanding and reliable partner. Everything she had done for Navarre, she had done together with him. By now, she had no idea if she could even manage without him. Fate had already decided, as it often does. Navarre would have just seven months with Catherine alone, all alone in her palace, until she would follow her husband.

Jean III d'Albret, Roi de Navarre, Comte de Périgord et Vicomte de Limoges, known to his subjects also as Rey Juan III and Joanes III Erregea, was buried in the Santa Maria Cathedral in Pamplona in the heart of Navarre, not the land where he was born, but the land he had defended his whole life. His daughter - there were no male heirs in any branch of the family - Princess Anne inherited Périgord and Limoges, giving her seven months to establish herself there, before she would have to assume the burden that Jean and Catherine had carried. She, too, had herself a Jean in the person of Duke Charles IV d'Alençon. Jean had at least been able to die knowing that his daughter and heir was with a strong, able French man whom she loved. In his life, he had preserved Navarre and outlasted the wily Ferdinand II; ended decades of unrest by destroying the Beaumontes once and for all; and securing a stable alliance with France, to protect Navarre when he no longer could.