Anjou (Traditional province, France)

Last modified: 2004-07-03 by ivan sache
Keywords: anjou | fleur-de-lys: 3 (yellow) |
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by Pierre Gay

• History of Anjou
  • The first house of Anjou
  • The Plantagenet empire
  • The second house of Anjou
  • The third house of Anjou
• Description of the flag of Anjou

See also:

• France
• Traditional provinces
• Regions
  • Pays de la Loire
  • Centre
• Departments
  • Indre-et-Loire
  • Maine-et-Loire
  • Mayenne
  • Sarthe

History of Anjou

The first House of Anjou

Anjou was originally known as the pagus andecavis, named after the Gaul tribe of Andecaves. At the end of the IXth century, Charles le Chauve, king of Francia occidentalis, allied himself to the Duke of Brittany and expelled the Vikings from Anjou. He appointed Robert le Fort, the root of the Capetian house, to protect the area against potential invaders.

At the end of the IXth century, the royal power faded away and feudal states emerged all over France. Foulques I le Roux founded in 898 the first house of Anjou. He bore the hereditary title of count of Anjou. Foulques II le Bon confiscated Maine to the witless king of France Louis IV. Geoffroi I Grisegonelle accepted the homage of the count of Nantes. The counts of Anjou made use of the rivalry between the Robertians and the last Carolingians to preserve their independence and increase their power.

Accordingly, the county of Anjou was in the XI-XIIth centuries a very powerful state.
Count Foulques III Nerra (987-1040) was one of the most brilliant lords of that time. He was a fiercy and greedy warrior, not to say a criminal, who always attempted to increase his state: he received Saintonge as a fief from the duke of Aquitaine, and seized the cities of Blois, Châteaudun, Langeais, Saumur, Vendôme and Tours, being only expelled from the latter city by king of France Robert le Pieux. Anjou main competitor was the county of Blois, which depended on the powerful county of Champagne but was almost totally annexated by Anjou. Foulques also had a few periods of repentance, during which he funded several churches and abbeys and went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

Foulques' son, Geoffrei II Martel (count in 1040-1060) conquered Maine and Touraine but died without a male heir.
His two nephews fought for the succession: the apathetic Foulques IV le Réchin (lit., the Despondent) defeated Geoffrei III but lost Saintonge, Maine and G&aci