Geoffrey II of Anjou

Geoffrey II of Anjou, called Martel ("the Hammer"), was count of Anjou from 1040 to 1060. He was the son of Fulk the Black. He was bellicose and fought against the Duke of Aquitaine, the Count of Blois, and the Duke of Normandy. During his twenty-year reign he especially had to face the ambitions of the Bishop of Mans, Gervais de Château-du-Loir, but he was able to mantain his authority over the County of Maine. Even before the death of his father in 1040, he had extended his power up to Saintonge, where he founded the Abbey aux Dames.

Related Topics:
Count of Anjou - 1040 - 1060 - Fulk the Black - Duke of Aquitaine - Count of Blois - Duke of Normandy - County of Maine - Saintonge

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An unusual entry in the cartulary of Ronceray describes a dispute over a vineyard seized by Geoffrey Martel and granted to his "wives, or rather concubines, Agnes, Grécie, Adele, and Adelaide. The first wife, Agnes of Burgundy, was the widow of William V of Aquitaine; she and Geoffrey married in 1032, but had divorced by 1050. He then married Grécie of Langeais, but dismissed her to marry Adele, the daughter of Count Odo II of Blois. Later he divorced Adele, and took Grécie back as his wife. His last wife was a German woman named Adelaide.

Related Topics:
William V of Aquitaine - 1032 - 1050 - Odo II of Blois

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Despite these marital escapades, Geoffrey died childless, after being made a monk in Saint-Nicolas d'Angers in 1060. He was succeeded by his nephew Geoffrey III of Anjou.

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