Elias II (also Helias, ''Hélie'', ''Helyes'' or ''Élie'') (died 15 January 1151) was the younger son of Fulk V of Anjou and his first wife, Eremburga, daughter of Count

Elias I of Maine Elias I (also ''Hélie'' or ''Élie'') (died 11 July 1110), called de la Flèche or de Baugency, was the Count of Maine, succeeding his cousin Hugh V, Count of Maine. He was the son of Jean de la Flèche and Paula, daughter of Herbert I, Count ...

. There is debate as to whether he was ever

count of Maine This is a list of counts and dukes of Maine. The capital of Maine was Le Mans. In the thirteenth century it was annexed by France to the royal domain. Dukes of Maine (''duces Cenomannici'') * Charivius ( fl. 723) – appears as ''dux'' in a docu ...

or whether he merely made a claim to it. Elias was born no earlier than May 1114. By 1129, Elias had married Philippa, daughter of Count

Rotrou III of Perche Rotrou III (bef. 1080 – 8 May 1144), called the Great (''le Grand''), was the Count of Perche and Mortagne from 1099. He was the son of Geoffrey II, Count of Perche, and Beatrix de Ramerupt, daughter of Hilduin IV, Count of Montdidier. He was ...

. It is possible but unlikely that Elias' father left him the county of Maine; his elder brother, Geoffrey Plantagenet was ruler of Anjou, Maine and the Touraine. Elias rebelled in 1145 with the support of Lord Robert III of Sablé, sparking a conflict known in Angevin historiography as the "war of the barons" (''guerra baronum''). This war may have dragged on into 1146, but in the end Elias was captured and imprisoned by his brother. According to the ''

Gesta consulum Andegavorum The ''Chronica de gestis consulum Andegavorum'' ("Chronicle of the deeds of the consuls of Anjou"), or simply ''Gesta consulum Andegavorum'', is a Latin history of the Ingelgerian dynasty of the county of Anjou written in the early 12th century, ...

'', Elias, acting "by the counsel of wicked men ... attacked his own brother, demanding the consulship of Maine". A 13th-century source, the '' Chronicon Turonense magnum'', likewise call Elias the count of Maine. All chronicles agree that Elias was imprisoned in

Tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 ...

and died as a result.Dutton, 108–9.

John of Marmoutier John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, writing in the 1170s, states that Geoffrey released Elias, but that he died from a fever contracted during his incarceration a few days later. The annals of the priory of L'Évière place his death in 1151, and the necrology of the

priory of Fontaines A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of monk ...

gives the date as 15 January. Elias and Philippa had daughter, Beatrix, who married

John I of Alençon John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, by whom she was ancestor of the later

counts and dukes of Alençon Several counts and then royal dukes of Alençon have figured in French history. The title has been awarded to a younger brother of the French sovereign. History The first line of Counts of Alençon came from the House of Belleme, who ruled fro ...

.Guillaume de Tyr et ses continuateurs, ed. M. P. Paris, (Paris, 1880), vol.II, p. 3.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elias 02 of Maine 1151 deaths Counts of Maine Year of birth unknown Sons of kings