Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou
| Geoffrey Plantagenet | |
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| Duke of the Normans Count of Anjou, Maine and Mortain |
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Enamel effigy of Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou on his tomb at Le Mans. His decorated shield shows the early origins of the Royal Arms of England.
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| Count of Anjou | |
| Reign | 1129 – 7 September 1151 |
| Predecessor | Fulk the Younger |
| Successor | Henry Curtmantle |
| Born | 24 August 1113 |
| Died | 7 September 1151 (aged 38) Château-du-Loir, France |
| Burial | Le Mans Cathedral, Le Mans |
| Spouse |
Matilda of England (m. 1128–51; his death) |
| Issue Detail |
Henry II, King of England Geoffrey, Count of Nantes William, Viscount of Dieppe |
| House | Plantagenet |
| Father | Fulk, King of Jerusalem |
| Mother | Ermengarde, Countess of Maine |
Geoffrey V (24 August 1113 – 7 September 1151) — called the Handsome or the Fair (French: le Bel) and Plantagenet — was the Count of Anjou, Touraine, and Maine by inheritance from 1129 and then Duke of Normandy by conquest from 1144. By his marriage to the Empress Matilda, daughter and heiress of Henry I of England, Geoffrey had a son, Henry Curtmantle, who succeeded to the English throne as King Henry II (1154-1189) and founded the Plantagenet dynasty, whose name was taken from Geoffrey's epithet. His ancestral domain of Anjou gave rise to the name Angevin, for three kings of England, and what became known as the Angevin Empire in the 12th century.
Geoffrey was the elder son of Foulques V d'Anjou and Eremburga de La Flèche, daughter of Elias I of Maine. He was named after his great-grandfather Geoffrey II, Count of Gâtinais. Geoffrey received his nickname from the yellow sprig of broom blossom (genêt is the French name for the planta genista, or broom shrub) he wore in his hat. King Henry I of England, having heard good reports on Geoffrey's talents and prowess, sent his royal legates to Anjou to negotiate a marriage between Geoffrey and his own daughter, Empress Matilda. Consent was obtained from both parties, and on 10 June 1128 the fifteen-year-old Geoffrey was knighted in Rouen by King Henry in preparation for the wedding.
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