Individual Details
Geoffrey V "Le Bon," Count of Anjou
(24 Aug 1113 - 7 Sep 1151)
He was the Count of Anjou & Duke of Normandy. Family acquired the surname "Plantagenet" from the nickname given Geoffrey because he wore as a badge a sprig of flowering Broom (Plants genista), a habit said to have originated when retriving his hat, which fell off one day while hunting, he scooped up a handful of yellow broom flowers. The name was not formally used until the mid 15th century, when Richard, Duke of York, claimed the throne through superior right and called himself Richard Plantagenet to emphasize his claim.
Was only 14 when his father married him off to Matilda-heir apparent to the English throne.[Brøderbund WFT Vol. 16, Ed. 1, Tree #2294, Date of Import: Jul 21, 1998]
ref 283,313 Count of Anjou; m 2) Princess Matilda;
Burke says the marriage was 3 Apr 1127. The name Plantagenet, according to Rapin, came from when Fulk the Great being stung from remorse for some wicked action, in order to atone for it, went a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and was scourged before the Holy Sepulchre with broom twigs. Earlier authorities say it was because Geoffrey bore a branch of yellow broom (Planta-genistae) in his helm.
Duke of Normandy 1144-1150.
According to Wikipedia:
Geoffrey V (24 August 1113 - 7 September 1151), called the Handsome or the Fair (French: le Bel) and Plantagenet, was the Count of Anjou, Touraine and Maine by inheritance from 1129, and also Duke of Normandy by conquest from 1144. His marriage to the Empress Matilda, daughter and heiress of Henry I of England, produced a son, Henry Curtmantle, who succeeded to the English throne as King Henry II (1154-1189) and was the first of the Plantagenet dynasty to rule England; the name "Plantagenet" was taken from Geoffrey's epithet. Geoffrey's ancestral domain of Anjou gave rise to the name Angevin for three kings of England (Henry II his son and heir, and Henry's sons Richard and John), and what became known as the Angevin Empire in the 12th century.
Biography
Early life
Geoffrey was the elder son of Fulk V of Anjou and Ermengarde of Maine. 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.[1]:9[2]:1[3] The chronicler John of Marmoutier described Geoffrey as handsome, red haired, jovial, and a great warrior.[4] King Henry I of England, having heard good reports on Geoffrey's talents and prowess, sent his royal legates to Anjou to negotiate a marriage between Geoffrey and his own daughter, Empress Matilda. Consent was obtained from both parties, and on 10 June 1128 the fifteen-year-old Geoffrey was knighted in Rouen by King Henry in preparation for the wedding.
Marriage
Geoffrey and Matilda's marriage took place in 1128. The 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 (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.[1]:14-18
Count of Anjou
The year after the marriage Geoffrey's father left for Jerusalem (where he was to become king), leaving Geoffrey behind as count of Anjou.
When his father in law, King Henry I of England died in 1135, Geoffrey supported Matilda in entering 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. The following year, Geoffrey gave Ambrieres, Gorron, and Chatilon-sur-Colmont to Juhel de Mayenne, on condition that he help obtain the inheritance of Geoffrey's wife.[5]
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.[6] A legatine council of the English church held at Winchester in April 1141 declared Stephen deposed and proclaimed Matilda "Lady of the English".[6]
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. In 1144, he founded an Augustine priory at Château-l'Hermitage in Anjou.[7] Geoffrey held the duchy until 1149, when he and Matilda conjointly ceded it to their son, Henry, which cession was formally ratified by King Louis VII of France the following year.[8]
Geoffrey also put down three baronial rebellions in Anjou, in 1129, 1135 and 1145-1151.[9] He was often at odds with his younger brother, Elias, whom he had imprisoned until Elias died in 1151. The threat of rebellion slowed his progress in Normandy, and is one reason he could not intervene in England. Geoffrey died later the same year, aged just 38, and Henry took his father’s place as Head of the Plantagenet House. 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, beginning the Plantagenet era in England.[10]
Death
North West France 1150
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. His wife and sons outlived him. He was buried at St Julien's Cathedral in Le Mans France, and Henry succeeded him as Duke of Normandy.[10]
Legacy
Children
Geoffrey and Matilda's children were:
Henry II, King of England (1133-1189), succeeded his father as head of Angevin Dynasty, had 8 children with Eleanor of Aquitaine, who became rulers of the Angevin Dynasty after their father.
Geoffrey, Count of Nantes (1 June 1134 Rouen - 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): Hamelin who married Isabel de Warenne, 4th Countess of Surrey; Emme, who married Dafydd Ab Owain Gwynedd, Prince of North Wales; and Mary, who became a nun and Abbess of Shaftesbury and who may be the poet Marie de France. Adelaide of Angers is sometimes sourced as being the mother of Hamelin.[10]
Early heraldry
See also: List of oldest heraldry
An enamel effigy (funerary plaque) commissioned by his widow to decorate the tomb of Geoffrey of Anjou is one of the earliest examples of European heraldry. Jean de Marmentier, a late-12th-century chronicler, reported that in 1128 Henry I of England knighted his son-in-law Geoffrey and granted him a badge of gold lions.[11] A gold lion may already have been Henry's own badge, and different lion motifs would later be used by many of his descendants. The enamel shows Geoffrey with a blue shield depicting gold lions, apparently the same motif later used by a grandson of Geoffrey, William Longespee.[12] In addition to being one of the first authentic representations of a coat of arms,[13] according to British historian Jim Bradbury it "suggests possible evidence for the early use of what became the English royal arms".[14]
-- MERGED NOTE ------------
He was the Count of Anjou & Duke of Normandy. Family acquired the surname "Plantagenet" from the nickname given Geoffrey because he wore as a badge a sprig of flowering Broom (Plants genista), a habit said to have originated when retriving his hat, which fell off one day while hunting, he scooped up a handful of yellow broom flowers. The name was not formally used until the mid 15th century, when Richard, Duke of York, claimed the throne through superior right and called himself Richard Plantagenet to emphasize his claim.
Was only 14 when his father married him off to Matilda-heir apparent to the English throne.[Brøderbund WFT Vol. 16, Ed. 1, Tree #2294, Date of Import: Jul 21, 1998]
ref 283,313 Count of Anjou; m 2) Princess Matilda;
Burke says the marriage was 3 Apr 1127. The name Plantagenet, according to Rapin, came from when Fulk the Great being stung from remorse for some wicked action, in order to atone for it, went a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and was scourged before the Holy Sepulchre with broom twigs. Earlier authorities say it was because Geoffrey bore a branch of yellow broom (Planta-genistae) in his helm.
Duke of Normandy 1144-1150.
According to Wikipedia:
Geoffrey V (24 August 1113 - 7 September 1151), called the Handsome or the Fair (French: le Bel) and Plantagenet, was the Count of Anjou, Touraine and Maine by inheritance from 1129, and also Duke of Normandy by conquest from 1144. His marriage to the Empress Matilda, daughter and heiress of Henry I of England, produced a son, Henry Curtmantle, who succeeded to the English throne as King Henry II (1154-1189) and was the first of the Plantagenet dynasty to rule England; the name "Plantagenet" was taken from Geoffrey's epithet. Geoffrey's ancestral domain of Anjou gave rise to the name Angevin for three kings of England (Henry II his son and heir, and Henry's sons Richard and John), and what became known as the Angevin Empire in the 12th century.
Biography
Early life
Geoffrey was the elder son of Fulk V of Anjou and Ermengarde of Maine. 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.[1]:9[2]:1[3] The chronicler John of Marmoutier described Geoffrey as handsome, red haired, jovial, and a great warrior.[4] King Henry I of England, having heard good reports on Geoffrey's talents and prowess, sent his royal legates to Anjou to negotiate a marriage between Geoffrey and his own daughter, Empress Matilda. Consent was obtained from both parties, and on 10 June 1128 the fifteen-year-old Geoffrey was knighted in Rouen by King Henry in preparation for the wedding.
Marriage
Geoffrey and Matilda's marriage took place in 1128. The 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 (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.[1]:14-18
Count of Anjou
The year after the marriage Geoffrey's father left for Jerusalem (where he was to become king), leaving Geoffrey behind as count of Anjou.
When his father in law, King Henry I of England died in 1135, Geoffrey supported Matilda in entering 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. The following year, Geoffrey gave Ambrieres, Gorron, and Chatilon-sur-Colmont to Juhel de Mayenne, on condition that he help obtain the inheritance of Geoffrey's wife.[5]
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.[6] A legatine council of the English church held at Winchester in April 1141 declared Stephen deposed and proclaimed Matilda "Lady of the English".[6]
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. In 1144, he founded an Augustine priory at Château-l'Hermitage in Anjou.[7] Geoffrey held the duchy until 1149, when he and Matilda conjointly ceded it to their son, Henry, which cession was formally ratified by King Louis VII of France the following year.[8]
Geoffrey also put down three baronial rebellions in Anjou, in 1129, 1135 and 1145-1151.[9] He was often at odds with his younger brother, Elias, whom he had imprisoned until Elias died in 1151. The threat of rebellion slowed his progress in Normandy, and is one reason he could not intervene in England. Geoffrey died later the same year, aged just 38, and Henry took his father`s place as Head of the Plantagenet House. 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, beginning the Plantagenet era in England.[10]
Death
North West France 1150
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. His wife and sons outlived him. He was buried at St Julien's Cathedral in Le Mans France, and Henry succeeded him as Duke of Normandy.[10]
Legacy
Children
Geoffrey and Matilda's children were:
Henry II, King of England (1133-1189), succeeded his father as head of Angevin Dynasty, had 8 children with Eleanor of Aquitaine, who became rulers of the Angevin Dynasty after their father.
Geoffrey, Count of Nantes (1 June 1134 Rouen - 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): Hamelin who married Isabel de Warenne, 4th Countess of Surrey; Emme, who married Dafydd Ab Owain Gwynedd, Prince of North Wales; and Mary, who became a nun and Abbess of Shaftesbury and who may be the poet Marie de France. Adelaide of Angers is sometimes sourced as being the mother of Hamelin.[10]
Early heraldry
See also: List of oldest heraldry
An enamel effigy (funerary plaque) commissioned by his widow to decorate the tomb of Geoffrey of Anjou is one of the earliest examples of European heraldry. Jean de Marmentier, a late-12th-century chronicler, reported that in 1128 Henry I of England knighted his son-in-law Geoffrey and granted him a badge of gold lions.[11] A gold lion may already have been Henry's own badge, and different lion motifs would later be used by many of his descendants. The enamel shows Geoffrey with a blue shield depicting gold lions, apparently the same motif later used by a grandson of Geoffrey, William Longespee.[12] In addition to being one of the first authentic representations of a coat of arms,[13] according to British historian Jim Bradbury it "suggests possible evidence for the early use of what became the English royal arms".[14]
Was only 14 when his father married him off to Matilda-heir apparent to the English throne.[Brøderbund WFT Vol. 16, Ed. 1, Tree #2294, Date of Import: Jul 21, 1998]
ref 283,313 Count of Anjou; m 2) Princess Matilda;
Burke says the marriage was 3 Apr 1127. The name Plantagenet, according to Rapin, came from when Fulk the Great being stung from remorse for some wicked action, in order to atone for it, went a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and was scourged before the Holy Sepulchre with broom twigs. Earlier authorities say it was because Geoffrey bore a branch of yellow broom (Planta-genistae) in his helm.
Duke of Normandy 1144-1150.
According to Wikipedia:
Geoffrey V (24 August 1113 - 7 September 1151), called the Handsome or the Fair (French: le Bel) and Plantagenet, was the Count of Anjou, Touraine and Maine by inheritance from 1129, and also Duke of Normandy by conquest from 1144. His marriage to the Empress Matilda, daughter and heiress of Henry I of England, produced a son, Henry Curtmantle, who succeeded to the English throne as King Henry II (1154-1189) and was the first of the Plantagenet dynasty to rule England; the name "Plantagenet" was taken from Geoffrey's epithet. Geoffrey's ancestral domain of Anjou gave rise to the name Angevin for three kings of England (Henry II his son and heir, and Henry's sons Richard and John), and what became known as the Angevin Empire in the 12th century.
Biography
Early life
Geoffrey was the elder son of Fulk V of Anjou and Ermengarde of Maine. 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.[1]:9[2]:1[3] The chronicler John of Marmoutier described Geoffrey as handsome, red haired, jovial, and a great warrior.[4] King Henry I of England, having heard good reports on Geoffrey's talents and prowess, sent his royal legates to Anjou to negotiate a marriage between Geoffrey and his own daughter, Empress Matilda. Consent was obtained from both parties, and on 10 June 1128 the fifteen-year-old Geoffrey was knighted in Rouen by King Henry in preparation for the wedding.
Marriage
Geoffrey and Matilda's marriage took place in 1128. The 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 (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.[1]:14-18
Count of Anjou
The year after the marriage Geoffrey's father left for Jerusalem (where he was to become king), leaving Geoffrey behind as count of Anjou.
When his father in law, King Henry I of England died in 1135, Geoffrey supported Matilda in entering 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. The following year, Geoffrey gave Ambrieres, Gorron, and Chatilon-sur-Colmont to Juhel de Mayenne, on condition that he help obtain the inheritance of Geoffrey's wife.[5]
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.[6] A legatine council of the English church held at Winchester in April 1141 declared Stephen deposed and proclaimed Matilda "Lady of the English".[6]
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. In 1144, he founded an Augustine priory at Château-l'Hermitage in Anjou.[7] Geoffrey held the duchy until 1149, when he and Matilda conjointly ceded it to their son, Henry, which cession was formally ratified by King Louis VII of France the following year.[8]
Geoffrey also put down three baronial rebellions in Anjou, in 1129, 1135 and 1145-1151.[9] He was often at odds with his younger brother, Elias, whom he had imprisoned until Elias died in 1151. The threat of rebellion slowed his progress in Normandy, and is one reason he could not intervene in England. Geoffrey died later the same year, aged just 38, and Henry took his father’s place as Head of the Plantagenet House. 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, beginning the Plantagenet era in England.[10]
Death
North West France 1150
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. His wife and sons outlived him. He was buried at St Julien's Cathedral in Le Mans France, and Henry succeeded him as Duke of Normandy.[10]
Legacy
Children
Geoffrey and Matilda's children were:
Henry II, King of England (1133-1189), succeeded his father as head of Angevin Dynasty, had 8 children with Eleanor of Aquitaine, who became rulers of the Angevin Dynasty after their father.
Geoffrey, Count of Nantes (1 June 1134 Rouen - 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): Hamelin who married Isabel de Warenne, 4th Countess of Surrey; Emme, who married Dafydd Ab Owain Gwynedd, Prince of North Wales; and Mary, who became a nun and Abbess of Shaftesbury and who may be the poet Marie de France. Adelaide of Angers is sometimes sourced as being the mother of Hamelin.[10]
Early heraldry
See also: List of oldest heraldry
An enamel effigy (funerary plaque) commissioned by his widow to decorate the tomb of Geoffrey of Anjou is one of the earliest examples of European heraldry. Jean de Marmentier, a late-12th-century chronicler, reported that in 1128 Henry I of England knighted his son-in-law Geoffrey and granted him a badge of gold lions.[11] A gold lion may already have been Henry's own badge, and different lion motifs would later be used by many of his descendants. The enamel shows Geoffrey with a blue shield depicting gold lions, apparently the same motif later used by a grandson of Geoffrey, William Longespee.[12] In addition to being one of the first authentic representations of a coat of arms,[13] according to British historian Jim Bradbury it "suggests possible evidence for the early use of what became the English royal arms".[14]
-- MERGED NOTE ------------
He was the Count of Anjou & Duke of Normandy. Family acquired the surname "Plantagenet" from the nickname given Geoffrey because he wore as a badge a sprig of flowering Broom (Plants genista), a habit said to have originated when retriving his hat, which fell off one day while hunting, he scooped up a handful of yellow broom flowers. The name was not formally used until the mid 15th century, when Richard, Duke of York, claimed the throne through superior right and called himself Richard Plantagenet to emphasize his claim.
Was only 14 when his father married him off to Matilda-heir apparent to the English throne.[Brøderbund WFT Vol. 16, Ed. 1, Tree #2294, Date of Import: Jul 21, 1998]
ref 283,313 Count of Anjou; m 2) Princess Matilda;
Burke says the marriage was 3 Apr 1127. The name Plantagenet, according to Rapin, came from when Fulk the Great being stung from remorse for some wicked action, in order to atone for it, went a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and was scourged before the Holy Sepulchre with broom twigs. Earlier authorities say it was because Geoffrey bore a branch of yellow broom (Planta-genistae) in his helm.
Duke of Normandy 1144-1150.
According to Wikipedia:
Geoffrey V (24 August 1113 - 7 September 1151), called the Handsome or the Fair (French: le Bel) and Plantagenet, was the Count of Anjou, Touraine and Maine by inheritance from 1129, and also Duke of Normandy by conquest from 1144. His marriage to the Empress Matilda, daughter and heiress of Henry I of England, produced a son, Henry Curtmantle, who succeeded to the English throne as King Henry II (1154-1189) and was the first of the Plantagenet dynasty to rule England; the name "Plantagenet" was taken from Geoffrey's epithet. Geoffrey's ancestral domain of Anjou gave rise to the name Angevin for three kings of England (Henry II his son and heir, and Henry's sons Richard and John), and what became known as the Angevin Empire in the 12th century.
Biography
Early life
Geoffrey was the elder son of Fulk V of Anjou and Ermengarde of Maine. 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.[1]:9[2]:1[3] The chronicler John of Marmoutier described Geoffrey as handsome, red haired, jovial, and a great warrior.[4] King Henry I of England, having heard good reports on Geoffrey's talents and prowess, sent his royal legates to Anjou to negotiate a marriage between Geoffrey and his own daughter, Empress Matilda. Consent was obtained from both parties, and on 10 June 1128 the fifteen-year-old Geoffrey was knighted in Rouen by King Henry in preparation for the wedding.
Marriage
Geoffrey and Matilda's marriage took place in 1128. The 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 (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.[1]:14-18
Count of Anjou
The year after the marriage Geoffrey's father left for Jerusalem (where he was to become king), leaving Geoffrey behind as count of Anjou.
When his father in law, King Henry I of England died in 1135, Geoffrey supported Matilda in entering 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. The following year, Geoffrey gave Ambrieres, Gorron, and Chatilon-sur-Colmont to Juhel de Mayenne, on condition that he help obtain the inheritance of Geoffrey's wife.[5]
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.[6] A legatine council of the English church held at Winchester in April 1141 declared Stephen deposed and proclaimed Matilda "Lady of the English".[6]
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. In 1144, he founded an Augustine priory at Château-l'Hermitage in Anjou.[7] Geoffrey held the duchy until 1149, when he and Matilda conjointly ceded it to their son, Henry, which cession was formally ratified by King Louis VII of France the following year.[8]
Geoffrey also put down three baronial rebellions in Anjou, in 1129, 1135 and 1145-1151.[9] He was often at odds with his younger brother, Elias, whom he had imprisoned until Elias died in 1151. The threat of rebellion slowed his progress in Normandy, and is one reason he could not intervene in England. Geoffrey died later the same year, aged just 38, and Henry took his father`s place as Head of the Plantagenet House. 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, beginning the Plantagenet era in England.[10]
Death
North West France 1150
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. His wife and sons outlived him. He was buried at St Julien's Cathedral in Le Mans France, and Henry succeeded him as Duke of Normandy.[10]
Legacy
Children
Geoffrey and Matilda's children were:
Henry II, King of England (1133-1189), succeeded his father as head of Angevin Dynasty, had 8 children with Eleanor of Aquitaine, who became rulers of the Angevin Dynasty after their father.
Geoffrey, Count of Nantes (1 June 1134 Rouen - 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): Hamelin who married Isabel de Warenne, 4th Countess of Surrey; Emme, who married Dafydd Ab Owain Gwynedd, Prince of North Wales; and Mary, who became a nun and Abbess of Shaftesbury and who may be the poet Marie de France. Adelaide of Angers is sometimes sourced as being the mother of Hamelin.[10]
Early heraldry
See also: List of oldest heraldry
An enamel effigy (funerary plaque) commissioned by his widow to decorate the tomb of Geoffrey of Anjou is one of the earliest examples of European heraldry. Jean de Marmentier, a late-12th-century chronicler, reported that in 1128 Henry I of England knighted his son-in-law Geoffrey and granted him a badge of gold lions.[11] A gold lion may already have been Henry's own badge, and different lion motifs would later be used by many of his descendants. The enamel shows Geoffrey with a blue shield depicting gold lions, apparently the same motif later used by a grandson of Geoffrey, William Longespee.[12] In addition to being one of the first authentic representations of a coat of arms,[13] according to British historian Jim Bradbury it "suggests possible evidence for the early use of what became the English royal arms".[14]
Events
| Birth | 24 Aug 1113 | Anjou (now Maine-et-Loire), France | |||
| Marriage | 22 May 1127 | Le Mans Cathedral, Le Mans, Sarthe, France - Matilda, Empress of Germany | |||
| Acceded | 1129 | ||||
| Death | 7 Sep 1151 | Château-du-Loir, Maine (now Eure-et-Loire), France | |||
| Interred | St. Julian's Church, Le Mans, Anjou | ||||
| Fact 4 | Count of Anjou & Maine | ||||
| Fact 4 | Count of Anjou & Maine |
Families
| Spouse | Adelaide of Angers (1112 - ) |
| Child | Hamelin Plantagenet (1130 - 1202) |
| Spouse | Matilda, Empress of Germany (1103 - 1167) |
| Child | Henry II, King of England (1133 - 1189) |
| Father | Fulk, King of Jerusalem (1089 - 1143) |
| Mother | Eremgard of Maine (1096 - 1126) |
| Sibling | Sibylla of Anjou (1112 - 1165) |