CHAPITRE IV.
Chapter IV opens the period 1044–1128, framed by the contrast between the personality-centred history of Anjou under Fulk the Black and the new era whose interest lies in the drama itself rather than its actors.…
ANJOU AND NORMANDY
This section establishes the geographic and dynastic backdrop of the Anjou–Normandy conflict, with Le Mans and the county of Maine at its centre.…
1044–1128
The period 1044–1128 is defined by Geoffrey Martel’s meteoric ascent and the strategic miscalculation that finally brought him against Duke William of Normandy.…
CHAPITRE IV.
The chapter returns to its overarching theme: the Anjou–Normandy struggle that would dominate the next phase of the eleventh century.…
CHAPITRE IV.
Chapter IV spans roughly 1048 to 1061 and traces the long, momentous Angevin feud with Normandy, the reversal of King Henry I of France’s policy, the eventual 1058 invasion and defeat at Varaville, the deaths of both King Henry and Geoffrey Martel, and the swift dissolution of A…
Siege of Domfront (1048)
In autumn 1048 Duke William set out to dislodge an intruder from Domfront, a formidable rock-top fortress garrisoned by Bellême moss-troopers reinforced by Angevin soldiers.…
Geoffrey Martel’s Challenge and Flight
William pressed the siege through winter until the garrison summoned Geoffrey Martel for relief.…
Fall of Alençon and Domfront
Scarcely had Geoffrey turned his back when Alençon fell, and its fall was quickly followed by that of Domfront, ending the Angevin foothold in those two strongholds.
William Builds Ambrières
William transferred his engines of war to Ambrières on the Mayenne on Cenomannian ground, where he laid the foundations of a castle.…
The Momentous Angevin Feud Begins
These events opened the most momentous feud ever waged by the counts of Anjou. After the initial storm came a lull of nearly seven years, but Geoffrey’s power had suffered a shock…
Henry I Reverses His Policy
Henry I of France, who had once courted William’s friendship against Angevin pressure, reversed his policy once he saw William was the mightier prince, openly supporting treason i…
Geoffrey Martel’s Desertion of King Henry
The princes mustered at Mantes from every quarter save one: the count of Anjou was conspicuously absent, despite his fearsome reputation, and refused to risk encounter with the ma…
Rout of Mortemer and Its Aftermath
By deserting Henry at the critical moment Geoffrey escaped all share in the rout of Mortemer, but the subsequent peace included a clause authorizing William to make any conquests…
Geoffrey of Mayenne Submits to William
Geoffrey of Mayenne, lord of the lower town, urged his namesake and overlord to resist, receiving Geoffrey Martel’s boastful pledge.…
Troubles in Brittany and Nantes
Three years passed without further advance as Geoffrey’s energies dissipated in minor disputes.…
Geoffrey Martel’s Divorce from Agnes
Geoffrey’s marriage to the widowed countess of Poitou failed to deliver its expected advantages, and after 1050 Agnes ceased to appear as countess.…
Quarrels with Peter-William of Aquitaine
The 1053 quarrel with Peter-William came to nothing practical, but in spring or early summer 1058 the duke of Aquitaine blockaded Geoffrey within Saumur.…
The 1058 Invasion of Normandy
In 1058 King Henry and Geoffrey Martel, recognizing William as their most dangerous rival, forgot old grudges and planned a vast plundering raid.…
Defeat at Varaville
As the host crossed the Dive at the Varaville ford, it was caught simultaneously by the inflowing tide and by Duke William himself.…
Deaths of Geoffrey Martel and King Henry
Henry died in summer 1060 and Geoffrey Martel followed in November, receiving the monastic habit at the abbey of S.…
Geoffrey the Bearded’s Inheritance
With Geoffrey the male line of Fulk the Red expired. The heirs through the spindle-side included his nephew Fulk “the Gosling,” already compensated with Vendôme, and the two sons…
Dissolution of the Angevin Dominion
The dominion Geoffrey the Hammer bequeathed was no compact whole but a bundle of four states held on different tenures.…
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