Foulque IV of Anjou

Biography

It divides with his brother Geoffroy III Bearded the the goods of his uncle Geoffroy Martel: Geoffroy had Anjou and Touraine, while it accepted the Saintonge and the seigniory of Vihiers.

In 1061, Guy-Geoffroy-Guillaume VIII, duke of Aquitaine occupies Saintonge, but Geoffroy and Foulque beat it with Chief-Buttons and Foulque recovers Saintonge, however for little time, because Guillaume takes it again the following Anne.

Not wanting to be satisfied with the seigniory of Vihiers, it took the head of the opposition baronniale against his brother, then in fight against the clergy. It seizes Saumur the February 25th 1067, then of Angers, the April 4th 1067, captures his/her brother and imprisons it.

Foulque Réchin had gained with its cause some of most powerful vassal of Geoffroy the Bearded one, his brother, had given up already by the clergy and had excommunicated. Sure of their contest, it went on Angers the Wednesday-saint April 4th 1067 and, thanks to the treason of Geoffroy de Preuilly, Renaud II of Castle-Gontier, Giraud de Montreuil and the provost of Angers, named Robert, seized the person of Geoffroy and threw it in prison. The punishment of the traitors was not made wait. Foulque Réchin could not or did not want to preserve its trustworthy popular revenge. The following day Thursday-saint, a terrible riot raised the city: Renaud of Castle-Gontier, Geoffroy de Preuilly, Giraud de Montreuil, were massacred; the provost, apprehended in his turn, had soon after a similar fate.

After a short reconciliation, the combat reprende, and Foulque captures, deposits and imprisons his/her brother with Chinon.

Certain of its new vassal, among which Sulpice d' Amboise, dispute its title, it will always have business with an opposition in Anjou, where will settle feudal anarchy. To make sure of the support of the king Philippe I {{er}}, it yields the Gâtinais to him. It had to subject one by one its vassal turbulent, not hésiant to take and set fire to castles.

For résiter with the duke of Normandy William the Conqueror, he concludes several alliances, marrying his Hildegarde half-sister with GUI-Geoffroy-Guillaume VIII of Aquitaine and his daughter Ermengarde of Anjou to the duke of Brittany Alain Fergent. He will support also the barons of Maine in revolt against the duke of Normandy.

He had with the Archevêque of Turns a quarrel which failed to make it excommunicate; but its liberalities ensured to him the indulgence of the police chiefs named by the pope to examine his control. Bertrade de Montfort, his wife, was removed to him by Philippe Ier de France, King de France. He also had to fight the revolt of his son Geoffroy IV Martel, who was killed with the seat of Candé in 1106, and dies in Angers in 1109.

Foulques had written a Histoire of the counts d' Anjou , from which there remains only one fragment, inserted in the Spicilegium of Luc d' Achery and translated by the abbot Michel de Marolles in his Histoires of the former counts d' Anjou .

This text: " the Chronicle of the exploits of the Counts d' Anjou" , was written of 1100 to 1140 by a monk angevin, with his request for Foulques Réchin. The digitized version of this text is available in French.

Marriages and children

It had many wives: initially Hildegarde de Baugency, girl of Lancelin II, lord of Baugency, which was the mother of:

Ermengarde († 1146), perhaps married to Guillaume IX, duke of Aquitaine and count de Poitiers, then with Alain IV Fergent, duke of Brittany.

It remaria with Ermengarde de Bourbon, girl of Archambaud IV, lord de Bourbon. It and she will remariera themselves with Guillaume de Jaligny. Foulque and Ermengarde had:

Geoffroy IV Martel, († 1106) which was Co-count d' Anjou.

Foulque married in third weddings the January 21st 1076 Aurengarde, girl of Isembard, lord of Châtel-Aillon, and in 1080 will repudiate it to marry a girl of Gautier Ier, count de Brienne, and finally, about 1090, Bertrade de Montfort († 1117), girl of Simon I {{er}}, lord of Montfort and Agnès d' Evreux. Foulque and Bertrade had:

Foulque V the Young person (v. 1090 † 1144), count d' Anjou, then king de Jérusalem

Bertrade will leave it in 1092, removed by the king Philippe I {{er}}.

Gesta Consulum Andegavorum

The " Gesta Consulum Andegavorum " is a text which was written in Latin of 1100 with 1140 by a monk angevin, at the request of Foulque IV of Anjou says Réchin. It details the first dynasty of the Counts d' Anjou since the succession of Charlemagne.

Sources

FranceBalade
Chronic Fulk IV off Anjou
of the Counts d' Anjou

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