Geoffrey III of Anjou (in French ''Geoffroy III d' Anjou'') (c. 1040–1096), called ''le Barbu'' ("the Bearded"), was the Count 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 **Duk ...

1060–68.

Early life

Geoffrey, born , was the eldest son of

Geoffrey II, Count of Gâtinais Geoffrey II, de Château-Landon (died 1043 or 1046) was the Count of Gâtinais.John Burke & Sir Bernard Burke, C.B., ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage'', Edited by Peter Townsend (Burke's Peerage Ltd.,London, 1963)p. xciiiDetlev Schwennic ...

and Ermengarde of Anjou, the daughter of

Fulk III of Anjou Fulk III, the Black ( 987–1040; fro, Foulque Nerra), was an early count of Anjou celebrated as one of the first great builders of medieval castles. It is estimated Fulk constructed approximately 100 castles, along with abbeys throughout the L ...

.Detlev Schwennicke, '' Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten'', Neue Folge, Band II (Marburg, Germany: J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafel 82Jim Bradbury, 'Fulk le Réchin and the Origin of the Plantagenets', ''Studies in Medieval History Presented to R. Allen Brown'', Ed. Christopher Harper-Bill, Christopher J. Holdsworth, Janet L. Nelson (The Boydell Press, 1989), p. 27 Both he and his younger brother Fulk, called ''le Réchin'', were taken under the wing of their uncle,

Geoffrey Martel Geoffrey, Geoffroy, Geoff, etc., may refer to: People * Geoffrey (name), including a list of people with the name * Geoffroy (surname), including a list of people with the name * Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1095–c. 1155), clergyman and one of the ...

and both were knighted by him in 1060. Although well treated by his uncle, it is thought that Geoffrey Martel preferred his younger nephew, Fulk, but nonetheless left the countship to Geoffrey. Geoffrey III would serve as Count of Anjou until the Countship was taken from him by his brother, Fulk.

Military career

He succeeded his uncle Geoffrey Martel in 1060, but it shortly became clear to his vassals he was not nearly as competent as his uncle had been. He had given his younger brother Fulk Saintonge as an

appanage An appanage, or apanage (; french: apanage ), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of a sovereign, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture. It was common in much o ...

but in 1062, when it was attacked by Count Guy-Geoffrey of Poitou (aka William VIII), Geoffrey failed to come to Fulk's support and Saintonge was lost.Henk Teunis, ''The Appeal to the Original Status: Social Justice in Anjou in the Eleventh Century'' (Hilversum: Uitgeverij Verloren, 2006), p. 75 In 1063 the county of

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

was lost to Anjou as well. In 1064 Geoffrey failed to come to the aid of one of his vassals, Rainaldus of Chateau-Gontier,See Renaud Ier de Château-Gontier (French Wikipedia) who was captured by the Bretons.These were the bretons who comprised the army of

Conan II, Duke of Brittany Conan II of Rennes (c. 1033 – 11 December 1066) was Duke of Brittany, from 1040 to his death. Conan was the eldest child and heir of Alan III, Duke of Brittany by his wife Bertha of Blois, and member of the House of Rennes. He was the elder br ...

, who died at Château-Gontier after the battle, possibly due to poisoning. In 1065 Geoffrey alienated Archbishop Barthelemy by trying to force his own choice for Bishop of Le Mans on the church.W. Scott Jesse, ''Robert the Burgundian and the Counts of Anjou, c.1025-1098'' (Catholic University of America Press, 2000), p. 61 In turn the archbishop

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...

Geoffrey. As the situation in Anjou deteriorated Fulk IV quarreled with his brother Geoffrey. In 1067 Fulk rebelled and took the county from Geoffrey, briefly imprisoning him. In 1068 Geoffrey attacked Fulk, and once again was defeated. This time Geoffrey was imprisoned where he remained for 28 years. He was finally freed by the intervention of Pope Urban II in 1096, but died soon after.

Family

He married Julienne de Langeais before 1060. She died after 7 August 1067. They had no issue. Geoffrey and Fulk's sister, Hildegarde married

Joscelin I, Lord of Courtenay Jocelyn I de Courtenay (1034-after 1069), son of Athon, Châtelain de Châteaurenard, Seigneur de Courtenay. Very little is known about his life other than his two marriages. He first married Hildegarde de Château-Landon, daughter of Geoffrey ...

and had issue.Detlev Schwennicke, ''Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten'', Neue Folge, Band III Teilband 4 (Marburg, Germany: J. A. Stargardt, 1989), Tafel 629

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Geoffrey 03 1040s births 1096 deaths Counts of Anjou