Fulk II of Anjou (c. 905 — 960), called ("the Good") was
Count of Anjou
The Count of Anjou was the ruler of the County of Anjou, first granted by Charles the Bald in the 9th century to Robert the Strong. Ingelger and his son, Fulk the Red, were viscounts until Fulk assumed the title of Count of Anjou. The Robertians ...
from 942 to his death.Refer to Bernard S. Bachrach, "Fulk Nerra: Neo-Roman Consul, 987-1040" (California, 1993) 261 and 262 for a useful genealogy of the Angevin
comital
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
line.
Life
Fulk II born K.S.B. Keats-Rohan, ''Family Trees and the Root of Politics; A Prosopography of Britain and France from the Tenth to the Twelfth Century'' (The Boydell Press, Woodbridge, UK, 1997), p. 255 was a son of
Fulk the Red
Fulk I of Anjou ( 870 – 942) — ("Fulk the Red", i.e., "Red Falcon") — held the county of Anjou first as viscount, then count, until his death.
Life
Born about 870, Fulk was the son of Ingelger of Anjou and Adelais of Amboise. He was th ...
and his wife Roscilla de Loches, daughter of Warnerius, Seigneur de
count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York ...
of
Anjou Anjou may refer to:
Geography and titles France
*County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou
**Count of Anjou, title of nobility
*Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France
**Duke ...
, and remained in power until 960.
The Angevins, Fulk II included, had become particularly adept at establishing
marriage alliances A marriage of state is a diplomatic marriage or union between two members of different nation-states or internally, between two power blocs, usually in authoritarian societies and is a practice which dates back into ancient times, as far back as ear ...
that furthered their goals. His father,
Fulk the Red
Fulk I of Anjou ( 870 – 942) — ("Fulk the Red", i.e., "Red Falcon") — held the county of Anjou first as viscount, then count, until his death.
Life
Born about 870, Fulk was the son of Ingelger of Anjou and Adelais of Amboise. He was th ...
had arranged his marriage to Gerberga, daughter of Geoffrey of Nevers and Aba.The assumption of Bernard S. Bachrach, stating Gerberga was a daughter of Ratburnus I
Viscount
A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status.
In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicia ...
of Vienne is not consistent. Among other things, this alliance enabled Fulk to open the doors towards Aquitaine for his daughter, Adelaide-Blanche, to marry a future king of France (Aba was likely a daughter of
William I, Duke of Aquitaine
William I (22 March 875 – 6 July 918), called the Pious, was the Count of Auvergne from 886 and Duke of Aquitaine from 893, succeeding the Poitevin ruler Ebalus Manser. He made numerous monastic foundations, most important among them the foun ...
, and Engelberga, thus of royal blood) and for his son Guy to become
Bishop of le Puy
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Le Puy-en-Velay ( Latin: ''Dioecesis Aniciensis''; French: ''Diocèse du Puy-en-Velay'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the whole Department of Hau ...
.Bernard S. Bachrach, ''Fulk Nerra the Neo-Roman Consul, 987-1040'' (University of California Press, 1993), p. 7
After Gerberga's death Fulk made another astute political marriage to Adelaide, the
widow
A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has died.
Terminology
The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word can so ...
of
Alan II, Duke of Brittany
Alan may refer to:
People
*Alan (surname), an English and Turkish surname
*Alan (given name), an English given name
**List of people with given name Alan
''Following are people commonly referred to solely by "Alan" or by a homonymous name.''
*Al ...
. Alan II had also been Count of Nantes and through this marriage Fulk gained influence in, and possibly control of,
Nantes
Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...
. Adelaide was also the sister of Theobald I, Count of Blois which permitted Fulk II to form an alliance with the
House of Blois
The House of Blois () is a lineage derived from the Frankish nobility, whose principal members were often named Theobald (''Thibaud'', ''Thibault'', ''Thibaut'' in French).
History
Heirs of the viscounts of Blois, the House of Blois accumulated ...
. He is said to have ordered the murder of
Drogo, Duke of Brittany
Drogo was the count of Vannes and Nantes and duke of Brittany from 952, when he succeeded his father, Alan Wrybeard, until his death in 958.
Drogo was a minor throughout his reign, and so he was under a Regency. Drogo's Regents were his uncle ...
, Alan II's son with Adelaide according to the ''
Chronique de Nantes
''Chronicle of Nantes'' (Latin: ''Chronicon Namnetense'', French: ''Chronique de Nantes'') is an eleventh-century Latin chronicle of history extending from 570 to about 1049 AD. The original manuscript, kept in the city of Nantes, has not survived, ...
.''
Family
By his spouse Gerberge Fulk II had several children:
*
Adelaide-Blanche of Anjou
Adelaide-Blanche of Anjou( –1026) was, by her successive marriages, countess of Gévaudan and Forez, of Toulouse, of Provence, and of Burgundy, and queen of Aquitaine. She was the regent of Gevaudan during the minority of her sons in the 96 ...
, married four or five times.
* Geoffrey I, Count of Anjou, married Adelaide of Vermandois.
* Bouchard, Count of Vendome.
* Guy of Anjou, Bishop of le Puy.
* Humbert d'Anjou, mentioned 957.
Fulk II had no known issue with Adelaide.
Death
Fulk died in 960, at age of 55.Bernard S. Bachrach, ''Fulk Nerra the Neo-Roman Consul, 987-1040'' (University of California Press, 1993), p. 261 He was succeeded by his 20-year-old son Geoffrey Greymantle.