| 8. | PLANTAGENET Geoffrey IV "Le Bon" was born on 24 Aug 1113 in Count d' Anjou (son of V Foulques and du MAINE Ermengarde); died on 07 Sep 1151 in Cahateau-du-loir; bur. church of Anjou. Notes:
The friends of Goeffrey were unaware that their playful nickname for
him "Plantagenet" would live through the years. The story is told
that while disguised in battle, and to make himself known to his
followers, he leaned down from his horse and grasped a sprig of
"plante de genet", the common broom corn which grew thickly on the
heath, and thrust it in his helmet. Thus he derived his popular
title.
A noble person was Geoffrey, one of the most powerful princes of
France, with elegant and courtly manners and a reputation for
gallantry in the field. His alliance with England came about in
consequence of the great tragedy of the sinking of the famous White
Ship. When it struck hidden rocks off he coast of France, young
William, Duke of Normandy, the heir to the English throne, and 300
hundred others, were drowned in the freezing November waters, the
Butcher of Rouen alone being saved.
King Henry I of England, in despair over the loss of his only son,
sought the aid of Geoffrey Plantagenet and personally invested him
with the order of knighthood. Approving the marriage of his daughter
Matilda with Geoffrey, King Henry expressed the hope that all
Englishmen would give them their full allegiance. The Barons took
oath to uphold the succession of Matilda and Geoffrey and their
children after them. When , therefore, the sons Henry, Geoffrey, and
William were born, their grandfather thought the succession to the
throne secure. However, King Henry had no sooner died that all the
plans he had labored at so long crumbled away. Yet eventually on 19
Dec. 1154, Geoffrey's eldest son was crowned King Henry II and thus
Geoffrey heads the line of English Kings which bear his Plantagenet
name.
Geoffrey "the Fair", meaning "the Handsome" was the first to use the Plantagenet name. One story relates that his father, Fulk the Younger atoned for some evil deed by being scourged with broom twigs or planta genista before the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Another story relates that Geoffrey wore a sprig of broom or planta genista in his hat. Regardless, it is generally agreed upon that the family name of "Plantagenet" has its origins with the planta genista or broom plant.
Born on August 24, 1113
Died on September 7, 1151 and interred at St. Julian's Church, Le Mans, Anjou.
Armorial Bearings of Plantagenet The arms of Plantagenet are described by Richard Thomson: "Ancient Arms of Anjou borne by the Plantagenets, who were Earls of that place, of which family King John was descended. Gules, a chief argent over all an escarbuncle, or." Note that:
(1) Shields were sometimes strengthened with iron bands radiating from the centre which eventually became a part of the coat of arms under the term escarbuncle, and;
(2) Geoffrey "the Fair" Plantagenet pictured above doesn't appear to be carrying these arms.
Geoffrey married on May 22, 1127 to Matilda of England who was born in 1104 and died on September 10, 1167. Matilda was the only surviving legitimate child of King Henry I of England. After the death of Henry I in 1135, Geoffrey laid claim to Normandy through his wife Matilda. Meanwhile, Matilda attempted the conquest of England from her cousin King Stephen who had gained the crown. Geoffrey did not accompany her, being still engaged in the conquest of Normandy, which he completed in 1144. In 1147 he undertook a crusade with King Louis VII of France. In 1150, Geoffrey and Matilda ceded Normandy to their son Henry (later King Henry II of England), who founded the English Angevin dynasty. Click on Matilda for her ancestry.
Geoffrey and Mathilda had the following sons:
* Henry II Curtmantle, King of England, born March 5, 1132/33. Click Here for this line.
* Geoffrey VI, Count of Nantes and Anjou, born June 1, 1134 and d.s.p July 26, 1158
* William Longespée (also William Fitz Empress), Vicomte of Dieppe, born July 21, 1136 and died January 30, 1163/64. (not to be confused with his nephew William Longespée, named in the Magna Charta)
(Douglas Richardson, Plantagenet Ancestry, Baltimore, 2004, p. 2 & 3)
Geoffrey was associated with an unknown girlfriend, said by Brian C. Tompsett to be named "Adelaide of Angers". Geoffrey and his girlfriend had a son:
* Hamelin Plantagenet
Geoffrey also had two daughters, but the mother is not known:
* Emma (or Emme) Plantagenet who married Dafydd Ab Owain, Prince of North Wales
* Mary, Abbess of Shaftesbury
Geoffrey married of ANGERS Adelaide. Adelaide was born about 1112 in Angers, Maine-et-Loire, Anjou/Pays-de-la Loire, France; died on 10 Sep 1169 in Notre Dame, Rouen, Normandy. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
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