England under the Angevin Kings, Volumes I and II

Herbert’s Imprisonment and Release

Herbert was held captive for two years and only released upon his submission to whatever conditions Fulk chose to dictate.…

Terms of Herbert’s Submission to Fulk

Although the precise terms of Herbert’s submission are not recorded, they almost certainly included some acknowledgment of Angevin suzerainty over Maine, reviving rights once gran…

Angevin Claims over Maine

Fulk’s dealings with Maine, though only an episode in his life, carried consequences of the utmost importance because they prepared the ground for an Angevin conquest of Maine tha…

Consequences for Angevin Power and Normandy

By opening the way for Angevin control of Maine, Fulk brought Angevin power into contact and collision with the Norman ducal house, originating the long series of wars that would…

Odo Succeeds to Champagne

Odo had recently inherited the county of Champagne from his cousin Stephen, an acquisition that roughly doubled his wealth and power and elevated him to a position of such importa…

Change in Royal Policy Against Fulk

In 1025, King Robert—or rather his queen Constance, as chroniclers pointedly observed—made peace with Odo, the long-standing enemy of the crown, and abandoned their former ally Fu…

Odo’s Renewed Campaign and Siege of Montboyau

Believing his moment had arrived, Odo set upon Fulk “with all his might,” mustering the combined forces of Touraine, Blois, Chartres, Champagne, and apparently a contingent from t…

Fulk’s Capture of Saumur

As Fulk advanced toward the Montboyau as far as Brain-sur-Alonnes, news reached him that Gelduin, lord of Saumur and the man he feared above all others, had joined Odo at the sieg…

The Monks of S. Florence and the Transfer of Relics

Among the most valiant defenders of Saumur were the monks of S. Florence, whose community dwelt within the castle-enclosure guarding the relics of their patron saint.…

The Legend of the Saint’s Boat at Trèves

The monks placed the relics of S. Florence in a boat and rowed downstream until they reached Trèves, the limit of Saumur’s lands.…

The Mock Castle Named Treva

Fulk, despite his terror of the “devil of Saumur,” had once taken courage to march against Gelduin when the latter was unprepared, prompting an immediate request for truce.…

Fulk’s Campaign at Montbazon and Loches

Turning northward to relieve the Montboyau, Fulk besieged the castle of Montbazon on the Indre, only three leagues from Tours, which had somehow passed into enemy hands.…

Peace Negotiations and the Razing of Montboyau

Later Odo made an ineffectual attempt to recapture Saumur and subsequently encamped among the vineyards by the Thouet near the rising walls of the new abbey of S.…

Odo’s Final Attempt at Amboise

In the following year, Odo made one last attempt to stem Angevin progress by trying to surprise Amboise together with the young King Henry, Robert’s son and recently crowned colle…

Conclusion of the Angevin-Blois Rivalry

The failed attempt at Amboise was Odo’s final effort against his Angevin rival; the struggle between Fulk and Odo was effectively over.…

CHAPITRE III.

This chapter covers the closing years of Fulk Nerra’s life and reign as Count of Anjou, culminating in his death and burial, followed by an assessment of his legacy and a comparison of his son and successor Geoffrey Martel with his father’s achievements.…

Fulk at the Height of His Prosperity

By the end of his reign, Fulk Nerra had ruled Anjou for forty years with unbroken success, transforming the small Marchland into a power second only to Normandy and perhaps Aquita…

Fulk as Peace-Maker Between Constance and Henry

After Robert’s death in 1031, Fulk unexpectedly appeared as a peace-maker between Queen Constance and her son King Henry, whom she was trying to oust from the throne; in character…

The Founding of the Abbey of S. Nicolas

Whether at peace or war, Fulk was never idle; when there was no enemy to fight, his energies turned to encouraging piety and embellishing his capital.…