48.9908, 1.7172
Charles III (Basque: Karlos, Spanish: Carlos; 22 July 1361 – 8 September 1425), called the Noble, was King of Navarre from 1387 to his death and Count of Évreux in France from 1387 to 1404, when he exchanged Évreux for the Duchy of Nemours.
As a young man, Charles was frequently sent by his father, King Charles II, to act as the envoy to France, where the family had vested interests both as fief holders and princes of the blood royal. Following Charles II's dismal reign, Charles III set out to improve Navarre's infrastructure, restore its pride, and mend strained relations with France. While he may have seen himself primarily as a French prince, particularly early on, the focus of the Navarrese foreign policy during Charles III's reign gradually shifted towards Navarre's neighbours in the Iberian Peninsula.
Charles's personal life was somewhat turbulent. His marriage to Eleanor of Castile suffered a long crisis early in his reign over the status of their daughters and his illegitimate children; the couple reconciled after Charles affirmed their daughters' exclusive right to succeed him. Charles skillfully secured a balanced web of alliances through the marriages of his sisters and daughters to French lords and Iberian princes, ensuring a long-lasting peace in Navarre. He strove to increase the royal prestige through art patronage, court extravagance, and construction works. Having outlived most of his children, he was succeeded by his third daughter, Blanche I.