Fulk III of Anjou
Encyclopedia
Fulk III called Nerra (that is, le Noir, "the Black") after his death, was Count of Anjou from 21 July 987 to his death. He was the son of Geoffrey Greymantle
Geoffrey I of Anjou
Geoffrey I of Anjou , known as Grisegonelle , was count of Anjou from 960 to 987. He succeeded his father Fulk II...

 and Adelaide of Vermandois
Adele of Meaux
Adele of Meaux Also known as "Adele of Vermandois" was a daughter of Robert of Vermandois and Adelaide-Werra de Chalon.-Marriage:...

.
Fulk III was the founder of Angevin power. He was only fifteen when he succeeded his father, and had a violent but also pious temperament, was partial to acts of extreme cruelty as well as penitence. In his most notorious act, he had his first wife (and cousin) Elisabeth of Vendôme burned at the stake in her wedding dress, after he discovered her in adultery with a goatherd
Goatherd
A goatherd or goatherder is a person who herds goats as a vocational activity. Similar to a fisherman who catches fish for a living, the drover here herds goats. Goatherds are popular in countries where goat populations are significant; for instance, in Africa and South Asia...

 in December 999. On the other hand, he made four pilgrimages to the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...

 in 1002, 1008, and 1038 and, in 1007, built the great abbey at Beaulieu-lès-Loches
Beaulieu-lès-Loches
Beaulieu-lès-Loches is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France.The inhabitants are known as Bellilociens or Bellilociennes.-History:...

. As a result, historiography has this to say about him:
Fulk fought against the claims of the counts of Rennes, defeating and killing Conan I of Rennes
Conan I of Rennes
Conan I was the count of Rennes from 958 and duke of Brittany from 990 to his death. He became ruler of Brittany after a period of civil and political unrest, having first succeeded his father Judicael Berengar, as count of Rennes....

 at the Battle of Conquereuil
Battle of Conquereuil
The Battle of Conquereuil was fought on July 27, 992 AD between the Bretons under Duke Conan I of Rennes and the Angevins under Duke Fulk the Black...

 on 27 June 992. He then extended his power over the Counties of Maine and Touraine
Touraine
The Touraine is one of the traditional provinces of France. Its capital was Tours. During the political reorganization of French territory in 1790, the Touraine was divided between the departments of Indre-et-Loire, :Loir-et-Cher and Indre.-Geography:...

.

Fulk's enterprises came up against the no less determined and violent ambitions of Odo II of Blois, against whom he made an alliance with the Capetians
House of Capet
The House of Capet, or The Direct Capetian Dynasty, , also called The House of France , or simply the Capets, which ruled the Kingdom of France from 987 to 1328, was the most senior line of the Capetian dynasty – itself a derivative dynasty from the Robertians. As rulers of France, the dynasty...

. On 6 July 1016, he defeated Odo at the Battle of Pontlevoy
Battle of Pontlevoy
The Battle of Pontlevoy was fought on 6 July 1016 between the forces of Fulk III of Anjou and Herbert I of Maine on one side and Odo II of Blois on the other...

. In 1025, after capturing and burning the city of Saumur
Saumur
Saumur is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.The historic town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc...

, Fulk reportedly cried, "Saint Florentius, let yourself be burned. I will build you a better home in Angers." However, when the transportation of the saint's relics to Angers
Angers
Angers is the main city in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France about south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins....

 proved difficult, Fulk declared that Florentius was a rustic lout unfit for the city, and sent the relics back to Saumur.

Fulk also commissioned many buildings, primarily for defensive purposes. While fighting against the Bretons and Blesevins, protecting his territory from Vendôme
Vendôme
Vendôme is a commune in the Centre region of France.-Administration:Vendôme is the capital of the arrondissement of Vendôme in the Loir-et-Cher department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It has a tribunal of first instance.-Geography:...

 to Angers and from there to Montrichard
Montrichard
Montrichard is a town and commune in the Loir-et-Cher département, in France.-Geography:The town lies on the north bank of the Cher river. south of Blois, west of Vierzon and east of Tours...

, he had more than a hundred castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...

s, donjons, and abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...

s constructed, including those at Château-Gontier
Château-Gontier
Château-Gontier is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France.It is about south of Laval, the préfecture of the department of Mayenne. Château-Gontier is home to the Refuge de l'Arche, a refuge for abandoned or mistreated animals.-People:...

, Loches
Château de Loches
The Château de Loches is a castle located in the département of Indre-et-Loire in the Loire Valley in France; it was constructed in the 9th century...

 (a stone keep), and Montbazon
Montbazon
Montbazon is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France.Montbazon is located on the river Indre between the towns Veigné, Monts and Sorigny...

. He built the donjon at Langeais
Château de Langeais
The Château de Langeais is a castle in Indre-et-Loire, France, built on a promontory created by the small valley of the Roumer River at the opening to the Val de Loire...

 (990), one of the first stone castles. These numerous pious foundations, however, followed many acts of violence against the church.

Fulk died in Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...

 while returning from his last pilgrimage. He is buried in the chapel of his monastery at Beaulieu
Beaulieu-lès-Loches
Beaulieu-lès-Loches is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France.The inhabitants are known as Bellilociens or Bellilociennes.-History:...

. By his first wife, Elisabeth, he left one daughter, Adela. By his second wife (1001), Hildegard of Sundgau, he had two children, Geoffrey Martel, his successor, and Ermengarde, through whom he was an ancestor of Geoffrey Plantagenet and the Plantagenet
House of Plantagenet
The House of Plantagenet , a branch of the Angevins, was a royal house founded by Geoffrey V of Anjou, father of Henry II of England. Plantagenet kings first ruled the Kingdom of England in the 12th century. Their paternal ancestors originated in the French province of Gâtinais and gained the...

 kings of England.

Sources

  • Bachrach, Bernard S.
    Bernard Bachrach
    Bernard S. Bachrach is an American historian and a professor of history at the University of Minnesota. He specialises in the Early Middle Ages, mainly on the topics of Medieval warfare, Medieval Jewry, and early Angevin history...

     Fulk Nerra, the Neo-Roman Consul, 987-1040: a Political Biography of the Angevin Count. University of California Press, 1993.
  • Erdoes, Richard. AD 1000: Living on the Brink of Apocalypse, 1988
  • Fichtenau, Henry. Living in the Tenth Century, 1991.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK