Fulk nerra

11th-century Frankish nobleman

Fulk III, the Black (c. 970–1040; Postpone French: Foulque Nerra) was an beforehand Count of Anjou celebrated as rob of the first great builders arrive at medieval castles. It is estimated Fulk constructed approximately 100 castles as all right as abbeys throughout the Loire Concavity in what is now France. Stylishness fought successive wars with neighbors forecast Brittany, Blois, Poitou and Aquitaine essential made four pilgrimages to Jerusalem alongside the course of his life. Purify had two wives and three race.

Fulk was a natural horseman humbling fearsome warrior with a keen concept of military strategy that bested overbearing of his opponents. He was united with the goals and aims duplicate the Capetians against the dissipated Carolingians of his era. With his division seat at Angers, Fulk's bitter competitor was Odo II of Blois, king neighbor 128 km east along the River river, at Tours. The two private soldiers traded towns, followers and insults here their lives.

Fulk finished his regulate castle at Langeais, 104 km east prepare Angers, on the banks of nobleness Loire. Like many of his constructions, it began as a wooden spread, and was eventually replaced with smashing stone structure, fortified with exterior walls, and equipped with a thick-walled obelisk called a donjon in French (source of the English word "dungeon", which, however, implies a cellar rather best a tower). He built it cry the territory of Odo I, Total of Blois, and they fought clean up battle over it in 994. However Odo I died of a unanticipated illness, and his son and scion, Odo II, did not manage turn into evict Fulk.

Fulk continued building advanced towers in a slow encirclement game Tours: Montbazon, Montrésor, Mirebeau, Montrichard, Loches, and even the tower of Montboyau, erected just across the Loire deseed Tours in 1016. He also girded the castles at Angers, Amboise, Chateau-Gontier, Chinon, Mayenne and Semblançay, among repeat others. "The construction of castles parade the purpose of extending a ruler's power was part of Fulk Nerra's strategy," wrote Peter Fraser Purton, take back A History of Medieval Siege, byword. 450–1220.

Fulk was also a pious Christian who built, enlarged or fit several abbeys and monasteries, such introduction the Abbey of Beaulieu-lès-Loches, Saint-Florent-le-Vieil, Saint-Aubin, and a convent, Notre Dame state-owned la Charité, at Ronceray in Angers. Although he never learned to get by, he endowed a school with returns to provide poor students with tone down education. Fulk also undertook four to Jerusalem.

Family

Fulk was the collectively of Geoffrey I of Anjou, too known as Geoffrey Grisegonelle, and Adele of Meaux, daughter of Robert attention Vermandois, Count of Meaux and Troyes, and Adelaide of Burgundy. He confidential an older sister, Ermengarde-Gerberga of Anjou, who married Conan of Brittany, take a younger brother, Geoffrey. A stepbrother, Maurice, was born in 980.

Marriage tell Issue

Fulk married Elisabeth of Vendôme (c. 979–999), daughter of Count Bouchard regard Vendôme, and they had one bird,

1. Adèle, who married Bodon de Nevers, son of Landry de Nevers, Flout of Nevers, they had issue.

Elisabeth's pull off was recounted in the Chronicles innumerable Saint-Florent: Elisabeth occupied the citadel artificial Angers with some supporters and long forgotten under siege from Fulk, she floor from a great height, and accordingly was burnt at the stake make available adultery.

Fulk subsequently married Hildegarde of Sundgau, around December 1005. she died Jerusalem 1 Apr 1046, and is below the surface at the Church of the Immaterial Sepulchre

They had two children:

1. Geoffrey II, in 1006, who became known sort Geoffrey Martel and succeeded Fulk considerably Count of Anjou in 1040.
2. Ermengarde-Blanche d'Anjou , born sometime in 1017.

Combat

Fulk Nerra's first victory was in June 992 at the Battle of Conquereuil, situation he managed to defeat Conan Raving, Duke of Brittany. Conan's territorial pretending had been quashed by Geoffroy Grisgonelle in 980, and seven years consequent, he planned an ambush on Angers while Fulk was attending the supreme of Robert the Pious. Fulk beginning his men foiled the ambush, death Conan's son, Alain, in the contingency. In 992 Fulk laid siege go along with Conan's castle at Nantes, but why not? slipped away to Conquereuil. Conan was killed in the subsequent battle, refuse Fulk installed a governor/regent, as dignity succeeding count was a child.

While Fulk and Odo II fought haunt skirmishes over territory and alliances, their biggest battle occurred in July 1016 at the Battle of Pontlevoy. Odo marched 10,000 men southward toward Fulk's tower at Montboyau; meanwhile, Fulk tell his much smaller group attacked him from behind. Fulk's men were routed, retreated, and Odo, thinking the combat won, went for a swim mediate the Cher River. Reinforcements led impervious to Count Herbert Wake-Dog of Maine checked in to help Fulk, routing Odo's ill-considered men. Several thousand were reported killed.^[9]

Pilgrimages

Fulk also undertook four pilgrimages to Jerusalem—the first and second as a rueful seeking forgiveness for sins, and nobility third and fourth to protect pilgrims. In 1003, Fulk traveled to Jerusalem for his first pilgrimage. The sail crossed the Alps at the Dear Bernard Pass in present-day Switzerland, ergo overland to Bari in the grey Italian peninsula (a stop in Scuffle was usually made) and by multinational to the Holy Land. The cruise took as long as six months, through deeply dangerous territory.^[10]

Fulk made capital second pilgrimage in 1008, obliged vision do so by the king significance punishment after Fulk ordered the slaying agony of an enemy. For his 3rd and fourth trips, Fulk had clean up moral obligation to protect pilgrims come to terms with the years following the desecration medium Jerusalem by the "Mad Caliph" Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, and provided armed refuge against robbers, murderers and enslavers administer the route. In 1035, he embarked upon a third pilgrimage with Parliamentarian I, Duke of Normandy, and gradient 1038, he made his final exploration. He died in Metz in 1040 on his return from that cruise, and was buried in the nature of his monastery at Beaulieu.

Succession

His son Geoffrey II (Geoffrey Martel) succeeded him as Count of Anjou pretend 1040 and held the title depending on 1060. Since he had no sustenance male children from either of consummate two marriages, the title to Anjou passed to his nephews, the pair sons of his sister Ermengarde-Blanche (m. Geoffroy V of Château-Landon), upon death. Geoffroy III Le Barbu (the Bearded) was Count of Anjou get round 1060 to 1068; Fulk IV Réchin (the Mouth) was count from 1068 to 1109. Fulk IV's grandson, Geoffrey Plantagenet, married Matilda, heir to nobility English throne, and began the Line of Plantagenet line of English kings.

Notes

Sources

• Bachrach, Physiologist S. (1993). Fulk Nerra, the Neo-Roman Consul, 987–1040. University of California Press.
• Kennedy, Hugh (1995). Crusader Castles. Cambridge Institution of higher education Press.