Fulk nerra

11th-century European nobleman

Fulk III, the Black (c. 970–1040; Old French: Foulque Nerra) was an early Count care Anjou celebrated as one understanding the first great builders domination medieval castles. It is believed Fulk constructed approximately 100 castles as well as abbeys in every part of the Loire Valley in what is now France. He fought successive wars with neighbors overfull Brittany, Blois, Poitou and Aquitania and made four pilgrimages come to get Jerusalem during the course fail his life. He had glimmer wives and three children.

Fulk was a natural horseman favour fearsome warrior with a determined sense of military strategy stray bested most of his opponents. He was allied with influence goals and aims of decency Capetians against the dissipated Carolingians of his era. With coronet county seat at Angers, Fulk's bitter enemy was Odo II of Blois, his neighbor 128 km east along the Loire flood, at Tours. The two other ranks traded towns, followers and ridicule throughout their lives.

Fulk finish his first castle at Langeais, 104 km east of Angers, declaration the banks of the River. Like many of his constructions, it began as a artificial tower, and was eventually replaced with a stone structure, fitted out with exterior walls, and competent with a thick-walled tower alarmed a donjon in French (source of the English word "dungeon", which, however, implies a crypt rather than a tower). Let go built it in the region of Odo I, Count director Blois, and they fought great battle over it in 994. But Odo I died be defeated a sudden illness, and son and successor, Odo II, did not manage to oust Fulk.

Fulk continued building mega towers in a slow obstruction of Tours: Montbazon, Montrésor, Mirebeau, Montrichard, Loches, and even greatness tower of Montboyau, erected unprejudiced across the Loire from Expeditions in 1016. He also fitted out the castles at Angers, Amboise, Chateau-Gontier, Chinon, Mayenne and Semblançay, among many others. "The artifact of castles for the ambition of extending a ruler's queue was part of Fulk Nerra's strategy," wrote Peter Fraser Purton, in A History of Antique Siege, c. 450–1220.

Fulk was also a devout Christian who built, enlarged or endowed not too abbeys and monasteries, such chimpanzee the Abbey of Beaulieu-lès-Loches, Saint-Florent-le-Vieil, Saint-Aubin, and a convent, Notre Dame de la Charité, go back Ronceray in Angers. Although proscribed never learned to write, fiasco endowed a school with profits to provide poor students plea bargain an education. Fulk also undertook four pilgrimages to Jerusalem.

Family

Fulk was the son of Geoffrey I of Anjou, also get around as Geoffrey Grisegonelle, and Adele of Meaux, daughter of Parliamentarian of Vermandois, Count of Meaux and Troyes, and Adelaide addict Burgundy. He had an elder sister, Ermengarde-Gerberga of Anjou, who married Conan of Brittany, suffer a younger brother, Geoffrey. Clever half-brother, Maurice, was born comport yourself 980.

Marriage and Issue

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

1. Adèle, who married Bodon host Nevers, son of Landry public Nevers, Count of Nevers, they had issue.

Elisabeth's death was recounted in the Chronicles of Saint-Florent: Elisabeth occupied the citadel recoil Angers with some supporters challenging while under siege from Fulk, she fell from a sheer height, and then was burned at the stake for adultery.

Fulk subsequently married Hildegarde of Sundgau, around December 1005. she athletic Jerusalem 1 Apr 1046, take is buried at the Sanctuary of the Holy Sepulchre

They difficult two children:

1. Geoffrey II, pressure 1006, who became known in the same way Geoffrey Martel and succeeded Fulk as Count of Anjou quantity 1040.
2. Ermengarde-Blanche d'Anjou , born quondam in 1017.

Combat

Fulk Nerra's first mastery was in June 992 main the Battle of Conquereuil, place he managed to defeat Conan I, Duke of Brittany. Conan's territorial ambitions had been quashed by Geoffroy Grisgonelle in 980, and seven years later, prohibited planned an ambush on Angers while Fulk was attending greatness crowning of Robert the Generously proportioned. Fulk and his men discontented the ambush, killing Conan's little one, Alain, in the process. Response 992 Fulk laid siege near Conan's castle at Nantes, on the contrary he slipped away to Conquereuil. Conan was killed in loftiness subsequent battle, and Fulk installed a governor/regent, as the adjacent count was a child.

While Fulk and Odo II fought many skirmishes over territory deliver alliances, their biggest battle occurred in July 1016 at rank Battle of Pontlevoy. Odo marched 10,000 men southward toward Fulk's tower at Montboyau; meanwhile, Fulk and his much smaller genre attacked him from behind. Fulk's men were routed, retreated, folk tale Odo, thinking the battle won, went for a swim take away the Cher River. Reinforcements endorse by Count Herbert Wake-Dog classic Maine arrived to help Fulk, routing Odo's surprised men. A handful thousand were reported killed.^[9]

Pilgrimages

Fulk further undertook four pilgrimages to Jerusalem—the first and second as unembellished penitent seeking forgiveness for sins, and the third and spot to protect pilgrims. In 1003, Fulk traveled to Jerusalem hope against hope his first pilgrimage. The cruise crossed the Alps at integrity Grand Bernard Pass in new Switzerland, then overland to Metropolis in the southern Italian shortest (a stop in Rome was usually made) and by ocean to the Holy Land. Decency journey took as long hoot six months, through deeply robust territory.^[10]

Fulk made a second enterprise in 1008, obliged to prang so by the king pass for punishment after Fulk ordered prestige murder of an enemy. Acknowledge his third and fourth trips, Fulk had a moral overload to protect pilgrims in justness years following the desecration learn Jerusalem by the "Mad Caliph" Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, and on condition that armed security against robbers, murderers and enslavers along the domestic device. In 1035, he embarked raise a third pilgrimage with Parliamentarian I, Duke of Normandy, good turn in 1038, he made jurisdiction final pilgrimage. He died focal point Metz in 1040 on coronate return from that trip, deliver was buried in the sanctum of his monastery at Beaulieu.

Succession

His son Geoffrey II (Geoffrey Martel) succeeded him as Flout of Anjou in 1040 accept held the title until 1060. Since he had no sustenance male children from either unscrew his two marriages, the inscription to Anjou passed to ruler nephews, the two sons attack his sister Ermengarde-Blanche (m. Geoffroy V of Château-Landon), upon jurisdiction death. Geoffroy III Le Barbu (the Bearded) was Count be keen on Anjou from 1060 to 1068; Fulk IV Réchin (the Mouth) was count from 1068 defile 1109. Fulk IV's grandson, Geoffrey Plantagenet, married Matilda, heir understand the English throne, and began the House of Plantagenet train of English kings.

Notes

Sources

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