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 1113 - 1151 (38 years)
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| Name |
Geoffrey Plantagenet |
| Suffix |
Count of Anjou |
| Born |
24 Aug 1113 |
France  |
| Gender |
Male |
| Died |
07 Sep 1151 |
Château-du-Loir, France |
| Buried |
Le Mans Cathedral, Le Mans, France |
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| Notes |
- Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Plantagenet,_Count_of_Anjou
He was the Count of Anjou, Touraine, and Maine by inheritance and then Duke of Normandy by conquest and called the Handsome or the Fair (French: le Bel) and Plantagenet. When he married Empress Matilda, the daughter and heiress of Henry I of England, their son, Henry Curtmantle, who succeeded to the English throne as King Henry II and founded the Plantagenet dynasty the name of which was taken from Geoffrey's nickname.
Geoffrey was the elder son of Foulques V d'Anjou and Eremburga de La Flèche, daughter of Elias I of Maine. He was named after his great-grandfather Geoffrey II, Count of Gâtinais. Geoffrey received his nickname from the yellow sprig of broom blossom (genêt is the French name for the planta genista, or broom shrub) he wore in his hat.
Geoffrey and Matilda's marriage was meant to seal a peace between England/Normandy and Anjou. She was eleven years older than Geoffrey, and very proud of her status as empress dowager (as opposed to being a mere countess). Their marriage was a stormy one with frequent long separations, but she bore him three sons and survived him.
Geoffrey and Matilda's children were:
Henry II of England (1133-1189)
Geoffrey, Count of Nantes (1 June 1134 Rouen to 26 July 1158 Nantes) died unmarried and was buried in Nantes
William, Viscount of Dieppe (1136-1164) died unmarried
Geoffrey also had illegitimate children by an unknown mistress (or mistresses).
When King Henry I died in 1135, Matilda at once entered Normandy to claim her inheritance. The border districts submitted to her, but England chose her cousin Stephen of Blois for its king, and Normandy soon followed suit.
In 1139 Matilda landed in England with 140 knights, where she was besieged at Arundel Castle by King Stephen. In the "Anarchy" which ensued, Stephen was captured at Lincoln in February 1141, and imprisoned at Bristol. A council of the English church held at Winchester in April 1141 declared Stephen deposed and proclaimed Matilda "Lady of the English". Stephen was subsequently released from prison and had himself re-crowned on the anniversary of his first coronation.
During 1142 and 1143, Geoffrey secured all of Normandy west and south of the Seine, and, on 14 January 1144, he crossed the Seine and entered Rouen. He assumed the title of Duke of Normandy in the summer of 1144. He also put down three baronial rebellions in Anjou,and the threat of rebellion slowed his progress in Normandy. He could not intervene in England because of this. In 1153 the Treaty of Wallingford stipulated that Stephen should remain King of England for life and that Henry, the son of Geoffrey and Matilda should succeed him.
Geoffrey died suddenly on 7 September 1151. According to John of Marmoutier, Geoffrey was returning from a royal council when he was stricken with fever. He arrived at Château-du-Loir, collapsed on a couch, made bequests of gifts and charities, and died. He was buried at St. Julien's Cathedral in Le Mans France.
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| Person ID |
I35270 |
Master File |
| Last Modified |
2 Oct 2016 |
| Family 1 |
Matilda of England, b. 07 Feb 1102, Sutton Courtenay, Berkshire, England , d. 10 Sep 1167, Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France (Age 65 years) |
| Children |
| + | 1. Henry II Plantagenet, King of England, b. 05 Mar 1133, Le Mans, Sarthe, Pays de la Loire, France , d. 06 Jul 1189, Chinon Castle, Indre-et-Loire, Centre, France (Age 56 years) |
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| Last Modified |
27 Jun 2016 |
| Family ID |
F14564 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
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