Geoffroy IV Martel

Origin

According to the “ ” ( lat. Historia rerum in partibus transmarinis gestarum ) of William , Archbishop of Tire and the Chronicles of Alberic from Tre Fontane ( lat. Chronica Albrici Monachi Trium Fontium ) Geoffrey IV Martel was the son of Fulk IV Le Reshen , Count of Anjou and Count of Tour from his second wife, Irmengard de Bourbon, daughter of Arshambo IV the Strong . This is also evidenced by the entry in the “ ” ( lat. Chronica de Gesta Consulum Andegavorum ) in the “Chronicle of Anjou” ( fr. Chroniques d'Anjou ). On the paternal side, he was the grandson of Count Gatine and the owner of the Château-Lando Geoffrey II Ferreol and his wife Irmengard (Blanca) of Anjou ^[1] .

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Geoffrey IV Martel, who was born around 1073 according to the Chronicle of the Consuls of Anjou, lost his mother at an early age. Around 1075, his parents divorced. In the same year, Irmengard de Bourbon left Angers and married with Guillaume de Jaligny, and on January 21, 1076, his father Fulc IV Le Reschen married Orengard de Chatillon, daughter of Isembard de Chatillon. This was his third marriage. Until 1090, he managed to divorce twice and get married twice; for the fifth time on Bertrad de Montfort , daughter of Simon I de Montfort and Agnes d'Evreux . From the first marriage of his father, Geoffrey IV had a half-sister, Irmengard, from the fifth marriage - a half-brother Fulk V the Younger .

Due to the repeated uprisings of his vassals, dissatisfied with the count’s policies, Fulk IV in 1098 officially declared Geoffrey as Count of Anjou, his heir and co-regent, thereby securing his authority in the army. Geoffrey became Earl of Anjou under the name Geoffrey IV Martel. In turn, the eldest son took an oath to his father to fight with him against the rebellious vassals, as well as to confront William II , king of England and the Duke of Normandy under the name William III, who invaded the county of Maine . In the latter case, Geoffrey and his father spoke on the side of Eli I , Earl of Maine , but, despite their help, he was captured. After the death of William II and the return to the Duchy of Normandy, Robert III , Geoffrey and Fulk IV achieved the liberation of Eli I and the restoration of his authority over the county.

On June 23, 1096, Geoffrey was mentioned in document No. XCIII in the Black Cartularia ( French Cartulaire noir ) of the Cathedral of St. Mauritius in Angers , which states that, together with his sister and brother, he is one of the participants in the donation that was made to him Father Fulk Cathedral in Angers.

In 1104, Fulk, the half-brother of Geoffrey IV, returned to Angers from Paris , where he lived with his mother, the former wife of Philip I , king of France , and claimed his rights to the county. According to other sources, Fulk V returned to Anjou in 1106, already after the death of Geoffroy IV.

Geoffrey was afraid of the barons and respected the clergy. He brutally pacified rebellious vassals. Together with his father he took La Shertr, burned the Tuar , but during the siege of Kande in 1106 he died, pierced by an arrow. There is also a version that he was killed, possibly at the instigation of his father. The “Chronicle of the Consuls of Anjou” in the “Chronicle of Anjou” confirms information about the death of Geoffrey IV in Kanda and indicates that he was buried in the abbey of St. Nicholas in Angers. Geoffrey was not married and did not leave children. After his sudden death, Fulk IV regained full control of the county of Anjou , subjugating all the barons, and appointed Fulk V the Younger as his heir.

• GEOFFROY IV "Martel" d'Anjou 1098-1106 (English) . Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. Date of treatment October 28, 2016.
• Genealogy: The House of Anjou 2 - Geoffroy IV Martel
• Mittelalterliche Genealogie im Deutschen Reich bis zum Ende der Staufer (German)