Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou

Geoffrey V, born on 24 August 1113 and known as the Handsome or Plantagenet, inherited the titles of Count of Anjou, Touraine, and Maine in 1129. His claim and conquest led to him becoming Duke of Normandy in 1144. His marriage to Empress Matilda, King Henry I of England’s daughter, resulted in the Plantagenet dynasty’s 300-year rule in England. Geoffrey’s epithet ‘Plantagenet’ was later adopted by the dynasty, although it was not his family name. The name Angevin, derived from his ancestral domain of Anjou, is associated with the so-called Angevin Empire of the 12th century.

Geoffrey was the eldest son of Fulk V of Anjou and Ermengarde of Maine. His marriage to Matilda in 1128 was intended to create peace between England, Normandy, and Anjou. He supported Matilda’s claim to her inheritance in Normandy after the death of her father, King Henry I, in 1135. Geoffrey secured Normandy’s western and southern regions and was titled Duke of Normandy in 1144. He was a significant figure in the Anarchy that followed King Stephen’s reign in England. Geoffrey died on 7 September 1151 in Château-du-Loir, France.