Fulk II of Anjou

Fulk II of Anjou (–960), called the good (), was a French nobleman and the Count of Anjou from 942 to his death in 960.

 Career 

Fulk II was born about 905.K.S.B. Keats-Rohan, Family Trees and the Root of Politics; A Prosopography of Britain and France from the Tenth to the Twelfth Century (The Boydell Press, Woodbridge, UK, 1997), p. 255 He was the son of Fulk the Red and his wife Roscilla de Loches. She was the daughter of Warnerius, Seigneur de Villentrois.Detlev Schwennicke, Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten, Neue Folge, Band III Teilband 1 (Verlag von J. A. Stargardt, Marburg, Germany, 1984), Tafel 116 He succeeded his father in 942 as the second count of AnjouJim Bradbury, The Capetians: Kings of France, 987-1328 (Hambledon Continuum, London & New York, 2007), p. 56 (also called the count of Angers) and remained in power until 960.Pierre Riché, The Carolingians; A Family Who Forged Europe, trans. Michael Idomir Allen (University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, 1993), p. 264

The Angevins, Fulk II included, had become very good at making marriage alliances that helped their goals.Bernard S. Bachrach, Fulk Nerra the Neo-Roman Consul, 987-1040 (University of California Press, 1993), p. xi His father, Fulk the Red, had arranged his marriage to a Carolingian, Gerberga, the daughter of Ratburnus I Viscount of Vienne.Bernard S. Bachrach, Fulk Nerra the Neo-Roman Consul, 987-1040 (University of California Press, 1993), p. 7 Among other things, this marriage made it possible for their daughter Adelaide-Blanche to marry a future king of France. It made them important enough for their son Guy to become Bishop of Le Puy.

After Gerberga died  Fulk made another astute political marriage. He married Adelaide, the widow of Alan II, Duke of Brittany. Alan II had also been Count of Nantes, and the marriage probably gave Fulk control of Nantes.Bernard S. Bachrach, 'The Idea of the Angevin Empire', Albion: A Quarterly Journal Concerned with British Studies, Vol. 10, No. 4 (Winter,1978), p. 295 Adelaide was also the sister of Theobald I, Count of Blois. This allowed Fulk II to form an alliance with the House of Blois. Fulk died in 960.Bernard S. Bachrach, Fulk Nerra the Neo-Roman Consul, 987-1040 (University of California Press, 1993), p. 261 He was succeeded by his son Geoffrey Greymantle.

Family

By his wife, Gerberge,  Fulk II had several children:

 Adelaide-Blanche of Anjou, married five times.
 Geoffrey I, Count of Anjou, married Adelaide of Vermandois.
 Bouchard, Count of Vendome.
 Guy of Anjou, Bishop of le Puy.
 Humbert d'Anjou, mentioned 957.

By his second wife Adelaide, he had no children.

Notes

References

Category:900s births
Category:960s deaths
Category:Counts of Anjou