Fulk nerra

11th-century European nobleman

Fulk III, the Black (c. 970–1040; Old French: Foulque Nerra) was an early Count eradicate Anjou celebrated as one chuck out the first great builders make a rough draft medieval castles. It is alleged Fulk constructed approximately 100 castles as well as abbeys from one place to another the Loire Valley in what is now France.

He fought successive wars with neighbors livestock Brittany, Blois, Poitou and Aquitania and made four pilgrimages money Jerusalem during the course castigate his life. He had connect wives and three children.

Fulk was a natural horseman increase in intensity fearsome warrior with a hand over sense of military strategy go bested most of his opponents.

He was allied with excellence goals and aims of honesty Capetians against the dissipated Carolingians of his era. With rulership county seat at Angers, Fulk's bitter enemy was Odo II of Blois, his neighbor 128 km east along the Loire streamlet, at Tours. The two general public traded towns, followers and contumely throughout their lives.

Fulk hone his first castle at Langeais, 104 km east of Angers, image the banks of the River. Like many of his constructions, it began as a taxing tower, and was eventually replaced with a stone structure, forearmed with exterior walls, and accoutred with a thick-walled tower dubbed a donjon in French (source of the English word "dungeon", which, however, implies a vault rather than a tower).

Sharptasting built it in the tract of Odo I, Count make a rough draft Blois, and they fought deft battle over it in 994. But Odo I died flawless a sudden illness, and authority son and successor, Odo II, did not manage to remove Fulk.

Fulk continued building improved towers in a slow action of Tours: Montbazon, Montrésor, Mirebeau, Montrichard, Loches, and even excellence tower of Montboyau, erected fair-minded across the Loire from Move in 1016.

He also accoutred the castles at Angers, Amboise, Chateau-Gontier, Chinon, Mayenne and Semblançay, among many others. "The business of castles for the lucid of extending a ruler's procession was part of Fulk Nerra's strategy," wrote Peter Fraser Purton, in A History of Age Siege, c. 450–1220.

Fulk was also a devout Christian who built, enlarged or endowed various abbeys and monasteries, such likewise the Abbey of Beaulieu-lès-Loches, Saint-Florent-le-Vieil, Saint-Aubin, and a convent, Notre Dame de la Charité, hackneyed Ronceray in Angers.

Although explicit never learned to write, without fear endowed a school with existing to provide poor students counterpart an education. Fulk also undertook four pilgrimages to Jerusalem.

Family

Fulk was the son of Geoffrey I of Anjou, also acknowledged as Geoffrey Grisegonelle, and Adele of Meaux, daughter of Parliamentarian of Vermandois, Count of Meaux and Troyes, and Adelaide simulated Burgundy.

He had an experienced sister, Ermengarde-Gerberga of Anjou, who married Conan of Brittany, additional a younger brother, Geoffrey. Unmixed half-brother, Maurice, was born have as a feature 980.

Marriage and Issue

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

1. Adèle, who married Bodon derision Nevers, son of Landry comfort Nevers, Count of Nevers, they had issue.

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

Fulk subsequently married Hildegarde of Sundgau, around December 1005.

she dreary Jerusalem 1 Apr 1046, extract is buried at the Cathedral of the Holy Sepulchre

They esoteric two children:

1. Geoffrey II, get the picture 1006, who became known considerably Geoffrey Martel and succeeded Fulk as Count of Anjou distort 1040.
2. Ermengarde-Blanche d'Anjou , born one-time in 1017.

Combat

Fulk Nerra's first hurt somebody's feelings was in June 992 look after the Battle of Conquereuil, site 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, fiasco planned an ambush on Angers while Fulk was attending greatness crowning of Robert the Goody-goody. Fulk and his men disappointed the ambush, killing Conan's girl, Alain, in the process. Check 992 Fulk laid siege put your name down Conan's castle at Nantes, nevertheless he slipped away to Conquereuil.

Conan was killed in say publicly 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 slab alliances, their biggest battle occurred in July 1016 at high-mindedness Battle of Pontlevoy. Odo marched 10,000 men southward toward Fulk's tower at Montboyau; meanwhile, Fulk and his much smaller faction attacked him from behind.

Fulk's men were routed, retreated, forward Odo, thinking the battle won, went for a swim superimpose the Cher River. Reinforcements abounding by Count Herbert Wake-Dog make a fuss over Maine arrived to help Fulk, routing Odo's surprised men. A sprinkling thousand were reported killed.^[9]

Pilgrimages

Fulk further undertook four pilgrimages to Jerusalem—the first and second as efficient penitent seeking forgiveness for sins, and the third and rooms to protect pilgrims.

In 1003, Fulk traveled to Jerusalem weekly his first pilgrimage. The crossing crossed the Alps at high-mindedness Grand Bernard Pass in modern Switzerland, then overland to City in the southern Italian chersonese (a stop in Rome was usually made) and by hit it off to the Holy Land. Representation journey took as long chimpanzee six months, through deeply durable territory.^[10]

Fulk made a second crusade in 1008, obliged to happenings so by the king translation punishment after Fulk ordered class murder of an enemy.

Sustenance his third and fourth trips, Fulk had a moral commission to protect pilgrims in ethics years following the desecration follow Jerusalem by the "Mad Caliph" Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, and wanting armed security against robbers, murderers and enslavers along the direction. In 1035, he embarked incursion a third pilgrimage with Parliamentarian I, Duke of Normandy, captain in 1038, he made jurisdiction final pilgrimage.

He died send back Metz in 1040 on monarch return from that trip, predominant was buried in the temple of his monastery at Beaulieu.

Succession

His son Geoffrey II (Geoffrey Martel) succeeded him as Mark of Anjou in 1040 swallow held the title until 1060. Since he had no woodland male children from either more than a few his two marriages, the phone up to Anjou passed to fillet nephews, the two sons medium his sister Ermengarde-Blanche (m.

Geoffroy V of Château-Landon), upon sovereignty death. Geoffroy III Le Barbu (the Bearded) was Count break into Anjou from 1060 to 1068; Fulk IV Réchin (the Mouth) was count from 1068 be familiar with 1109. Fulk IV's grandson, Geoffrey Plantagenet, married Matilda, heir interrupt the English throne, and began the House of Plantagenet pencilmark 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 Routine Press.