Geoffrey IV

Geoffrey IV,

known as

Geoffrey Plantagenet

(plătăj`ənət) [O.Fr.,=sprig of broom; he usually wore a sprig in his helmet], 1113–51, count of Anjou (1129–51); son of FulkFulk
, 1092–1143, Latin king of Jerusalem (1131–43), count of Anjou (1109–29) as Fulk V, great-grandson of Fulk Nerra. He journeyed (1120) to the Holy Land as a pilgrim and returned there in 1129, making his son, Geoffrey Plantagenet, count of Anjou as Geoffrey
..... Click the link for more information. , count of Anjou and king of Jerusalem. In 1128 he married MatildaMatilda
or Maud,
1102–67, queen of England, daughter of Henry I of England. Henry arranged a marriage for her with Holy Roman Emperor Henry V, and she was sent to Germany, betrothed, and five years later (1114) married to him.
..... Click the link for more information. , daughter of King Henry IHenry I,
1068–1135, king of England (1100–1135), youngest son of William I. He was called Henry Beauclerc because he could write. He quarreled with his elder brothers, William II of England and Robert II, duke of Normandy, and attempted with little success to
..... Click the link for more information.  of England and widow of Holy Roman Emperor Henry V. After Henry I's death (1135) Geoffrey, hitherto occupied in complex feuds with Angevin barons and rival nobles, undertook to conquer Normandy, to which he laid claim through his wife. After 1139, Matilda attempted the conquest of England from her cousin, King StephenStephen,
1097?–1154, king of England (1135–54). The son of Stephen, count of Blois and Chartres, and Adela, daughter of William I of England, he was brought up by his uncle, Henry I of England, who presented him with estates in England and France and arranged his
..... Click the link for more information. , who had gained the crown after Henry I's death. 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 VIILouis VII
(Louis the Young), c.1120–1180, king of France (1137–80), son and successor of King Louis VI. Before his accession he married Eleanor of Aquitaine.
..... Click the link for more information.  of France. In 1150, Geoffrey and Matilda ceded Normandy to their son Henry (later King Henry II of England), who founded the English AngevinAngevin
[Fr.,=of Anjou], name of two medieval dynasties originating in France. The first ruled over parts of France and over Jerusalem and England; the second ruled over parts of France and over Naples, Hungary, and Poland, with a claim to Jerusalem.
..... Click the link for more information.  dynasty. Geoffrey is also known as Geoffrey the Fair.