Counts and dukes of Anjou

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The count of Anjou was the ruler of the County of Anjou, first granted by Charles the Bald in the 9th century to Robert the Strong. Ingelger and his son, Fulk the Red, were viscounts until Fulk assumed the title of count. The Robertians and the Capetian kings were distracted by wars with the Vikings and other concerns and were unable to recover the county until the reign of Philip II Augustus, more than 270 years later.

County/Dukedom of Anjou

Coat of arms of the Dukes of Anjou.
Creation date861 (county)
1360 (dukedom)
PeeragePeerage of France
First holderRobert the Strong (county)
Louis I (dukedom)
Last holderJohn the Good (county)
Louis Stanislas Xavier of France (dukedom)
StatusExtinct
Extinction date1795

Ingelger's male line ended with Geoffrey II. Subsequent counts of Anjou were descended from Geoffrey's sister Ermengarde and Count Geoffrey II of Gâtinais. Their agnatic descendants, who included the Angevin kings of England, continued to hold these titles and property until the French monarchy gained control of the area.

In 1360, the count was raised to a dukedom becoming known as duke of Anjou, subsequently leading the Duchy of Anjou. The title was held by Philip V of Spain before his accession in 1700. Since then, some Spanish Legitimist claimants to the French throne have borne the title even to the present day, as does a nephew of the Orléanist pretender.

Counts of Anjou

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Robertian dynasty

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The Robertians, or Robertian dynasty, comprised:

Name Portrait Birth Marriages Death
Robert the Strong
861–866
also: marquis of Neustria, count of Tours
820
?
son of Robert III of Worms and Waldrade
?
two sons
866
aged 45
Odo
866-898
also: king of the Franks, marquis of Neustria, count of Paris
  852
La Fère
son of Robert the Strong and Adelaide of Tours
Théodrate of Troyes
two sons
898
aged 46

Agnatic descent

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Name Portrait Birth Marriages Death
Ingelger
(Viscount of Angers)
845
Rennes
son of Tertullus (Tertulle) and Petronilla
Adelais of Amboise
one son
888
aged 42
Fulk I the Red
929–942
870
son of Ingelger and Resinde "Aelinde" D'Amboise
Rosalie de Loches
one son
942
aged 72
Fulk II the Good
942–958
905
son of Fulk the Red
Gerberge
two children
11 November 960
aged 55 Tours
Geoffrey I Greymantle
960–987
940
son of Fulk II
(1) Adele of Meaux
four children
(2) Adelaise de Chalon
March 979
one son
21 July 987
aged 47
Fulk III the Black
987–1040
  972
son of Geoffrey I Greymantle and Adelaide of Vermandois
(1) Elisabeth of Vendôme
one daughter
(2) Hildegard of Sundgau
1001
two children
21 June 1040
Metz
aged 68
Geoffrey II Martel
1040–1060
  son of Fulk the Black and Hildegard of Sundgau (1) Agnes of Burgundy
1032
no issue
(2) Grécie of Langeais
no issue
(3) Adèle
no issue
(4) Grécie of Langeais
no issue
(5) Adelaide
no issue

Cognatic descent

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Name Portrait Birth Marriages Death
Geoffrey III the Bearded
1060–1067
  1040
eldest son of Geoffrey II, Count of Gâtinais and Ermengarde of Anjou
(1) Julienne de Langeais
no issue
1096
aged 56
Fulk IV the Ill-Tempered
1067–1109
  1043
younger son of Geoffrey II, Count of Gâtinais and Ermengarde of Anjou
(1) Hildegarde of Beaugency
one daughter
(2) Ermengarde de Bourbon
1070
one son
(3) Orengarde de Châtelaillon
1076
no issue
(4) Mantie of Brienne
1080
no issue
(5) Bertrade de Montfort
1089
one son
14 April 1109
aged 66
Geoffrey IV Martel the Younger
1103–1106
1070
son of Fulk IV and Ermengarde de Bourbon
never married
no issue
19 May 1106
Candé
aged 36
Fulk V the Young
1106–1129
also: king of Jerusalem
  1089
Angers
son of Count Fulk IV, Count of Anjou and Bertrade de Montfort
(1) Ermengarde of Maine
1110
four children
(2) Melisende
2 June 1129
Jerusalem
two children
13 November 1143
Acre, Israel
aged 54
Geoffrey V Plantagenet

1129–1151 also: count of Tours and Maine, duke of Normandy

  24 August 1113

elder son of Fulk V of Anjou and Eremburga de La Flèche

Empress Matilda

17 June 1128 three sons

7 September 1151

Château-du-Loir aged 38

Henry Curtmantle

1151–1189 also: king of England, count of Maine, duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, lord of Ireland

  5 March 1133

Le Mans son of Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou and Empress Matilda

Eleanor of Aquitaine

18 May 1152 Poitiers eight children

6 July 1189

Chinon aged 56

Henry II named his son, Henry the Young King (1155–1183), as co-ruler with him but this was a Norman custom of designating an heir, and the younger Henry did not outlive his father and rule in his own right, so he is not counted as a count on lists of counts.
Richard Lionheart

1189–1199 also: king of England, count of Maine and Nantes, duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, lord of Ireland

  8 September 1157

Beaumont Palace son of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine

Berengaria of Navarre

12 May 1191 Limassol No legitimate issue

6 April 1199

Châlus aged 42

Arthur

1199–1203 also: duke of Brittany

  29 March 1187

son of Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany and Constance of Penthièvre

never married

no issue

April 1203

Rouen aged 16

In 1204, Anjou was lost to king Philip II of France. It was re-granted as an appanage for Louis VIII's son John, who died in 1232 at the age of thirteen, and then to Louis's youngest son, Charles, later the first Angevin king of Sicily.

Name Portrait Birth Marriages Death
John Tristan, Count of Anjou [fr]
1219–1232
Charles I
1246–1285
also: king of Sicily, of Albania, of Jerusalem, count of Maine, of Provence, of Forcalquier
  21 March 1226
youngest son of Louis VIII of France and Blanche of Castile
(1) Beatrice of Provence
31 January 1246
Aix-en-Provence
seven children
(2) Margaret of Burgundy
1268
one daughter
7 January 1285
Foggia
aged 58
Charles II
1285–1290
also: king of Naples, of Albania, prince of Salerno, of Achaea
  1254
son of Charles I of Anjou and Beatrice of Provence
Maria of Hungary
1270
14 children
5 May 1309
Naples
aged 55
Margaret
1290–1299
  1272
daughter of Charles II of Naples and Mary of Hungary
Charles of Valois
16 August 1290
Corbeil
six children
31 December 1299
aged 26

In 1290, Margaret married Charles of Valois, the younger brother of king Philip IV of France. He became Count of Anjou in her right.

Name Portrait Birth Marriages Death
Charles III
1290–1325
also: count of Valois
  12 March 1270
fourth son of Philip III of France and Isabella of Aragon
(1) Margaret of Naples
1290
six children
(2) Catherine of Courtenay
1302
four children
(3) Mahaut of Châtillon
1308
four children
16 December 1325
Nogent-le-Roi
aged 55
Philip
1293–1328
also: Philip the Fortunate, count of Maine, of Valois
  1293
son of Charles of Valois and Margaret of Naples
(1) Joan the Lame
July 1313
seven children
(2) Blanche of Navarre
11 January 1350
one daughter
22 August 1350
Nogent-le-Roi
aged 57

In 1328, Philip of Valois ascended the French throne and became King Philip VI. At this time, the counties of Anjou, Maine, and Valois returned to the royal domain. On 26 April 1332, Philip granted the county to his eldest son, John:

Name Portrait Birth Marriages Death
John
1332–1350
also: John the Good, count of Maine, of Poitiers, duke of Normandy, and Aquitaine
  16 April 1319
son of Philip VI and Joan the Lame
(1) Bonne of Bohemia
28 July 1332
Church of Notre-Dame, Melun
nine children
(2) Joanna I of Auvergne
19 February 1350
Nanterre
two children
8 April 1364
Savoy
aged 44

Following John's ascension to the throne as John II in 1350, the title again returned to the royal domain.

Dukes of Anjou

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The dukes contributed greatly to social reform in the 1300s and 1400s.[1]

First creation: 1360–1481 – House of Valois-Anjou

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Name Portrait Birth Marriages Death
Louis I
1356–1360 as Count of Anjou
1360–1384 as Duke of Anjou
also: count of Maine, de Provence and Touraine, king of Naples
  23 July 1339
Château de Vincennes
second son of King John II of France and Bonne of Luxembourg
Marie of Blois
1360
three children
20 September 1384
Bisceglie
aged 45
Louis II
1384–1417
also: king of Naples
  1377
Toulouse
son of Louis I of Anjou
Yolande of Aragon
Arles
1400
five children
29 April 1417
Angers
aged 40
Louis III
1417–1434
also: count of Provence, Forcalquier, Piedmont and Maine, duke of Calabria, king of Naples
  25 September 1403
eldest son of Louis II of Anjou and Yolande of Aragon
Margaret of Savoy, Duchess of Anjou
Cosenza
1432
no issue
12 November 1434
Cosenza
aged 31
René
1434–1480
also: count of Provence, Piedmont, duke of Bar, Lorraine, king of Naples
  16 January 1409
Château d'Angers
second son of Louis II of Anjou and Yolande of Aragon
(1) Isabella, Duchess of Lorraine
1420
10 children
(2) Jeanne de Laval
10 September 1454
Abbey of St. Nicholas, Angers
no issue
10 July 1480
Aix-en-Provence
aged 71
Charles IV
1480–1481
also: Count of Maine, Guise and Provence
  1446
son of Charles of Maine, grandson of Louis II of Anjou
Joan of Lorraine
1474
no issue
1481
aged 35

On the death of Charles IV, Anjou returned to the royal domain.

Second creation: 1515–1531 – House of Savoy

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Name Portrait Birth Marriages Death
Louise
1515–1531
also: duchess of Auvergne, of Bourbon, of Nemours
  11 September 1476
Pont-d'Ain
eldest daughter of Philip II, Duke of Savoy and Margaret of Bourbon
Charles of Orléans
16 February 1488
Paris
one daughter, one son
22 September 1531
Gretz-sur-Loing
aged 55

Third creation: 1566–1576 – House of Valois-Angoulême

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Name Portrait Birth Marriages Death
Henry III
1566–1576
also: dauphin of France, duke of Angoulême, duke of Orléans
 
19 September 1551
Palace of Fontainebleau
fourth son of Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici
Louise of Lorraine
13 February 1575
Notre-Dame de Reims
no issue
2 August 1589
Saint-Cloud
aged 37

Fourth creation: 1576–1584 – House of Valois-Angoulême

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Name Portrait Birth Marriages Death
Francis III
1576–1584
also: duke of Berry, of Touraine, of Alençon, Château-Thierry, of Évreux, Count of Perche, of Meulan, of Mantes
 
18 March 1555
Palace of Fontainebleau
fifth son of Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici
never married, but briefly engaged to Elizabeth I 19 June 1584
Château-Thierry
aged 29

Fifth creation: 1608–1626 – House of Bourbon

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Name Portrait Birth Marriages Death
Gaston I
1608–1626
also: duke of Orléans, duke of Chartres, count of Blois, duke of Alençon
 
25 April 1608
Palace of Fontainebleau
third son of Henry IV of France and Marie de' Medici
(1) Marie de Bourbon, Duchess of Montpensier
6 August 1626
Nantes
one daughter
(2) Marguerite of Lorraine
31 January 1632
Nancy
five children
2 February 1660
Château de Blois
aged 51

Sixth creation: 1640–1660 – House of Orléans

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Name Portrait Birth Marriages Death
Philip I
1640–1660
also: duke of Orléans, duke of Chartres, of Valois, of Nemours, of Montpensier, of Châtellerault, of Saint-Fargeau, of Beaupréau, prince of Joinville, count of Dourdan, Romorantin, of Mortain, of Bar-sur-Seine, viscount of Auge and of Domfront, marquis of Coucy and of Folembray, marquis of Mézières, baron of Beaujolais, seigneur of Montargis
 
21 September 1640
Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye
second son of Louis XIII of France and Anne of Austria
(1) Princess Henrietta of England
31 March 1661
Palais-Royal
three children
(2) Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate
16 November 1671
Châlons-sur-Marne
three children
9 June 1701
Château de Saint-Cloud
aged 60

Seventh creation: 1668–1671 – House of Bourbon

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Name Portrait Birth Marriages Death
Philippe Charles
1668–1671
 
5 August 1668
Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye
second son of Louis XIV of France and Maria Theresa of Spain
never married 10 July 1671
Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye
aged 2

8th creation: 1672 – House of Bourbon

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Name Portrait Birth Marriages Death
Louis Francis
1672
 
14 June 1672
Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye
third son of Louis XIV of France and Maria Theresa of Spain
never married 4 November 1672
Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye

9th creation: 1683–1700 – House of Bourbon

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Name Portrait Birth Marriages Death
Philip II
1683–1700
 
19 December 1683
Palace of Versailles
second son of Louis, le Grand Dauphin and Duchess Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria
(1) Maria Luisa of Savoy
2 November 1701
Figueres
four children
(2) Elisabeth of Parma
24 December 1714
Guadalajara
seven children
9 July 1746
Madrid
aged 62

10th creation: 1710–1715 – House of Bourbon

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Name Portrait Birth Marriages Death
Louis the Beloved
1710–1715
also: dauphin of France
 
15 February 1710
Palace of Versailles
third son of Louis, le Petit Dauphin and Princess Marie Adélaïde of Savoy
Marie Leszczyńska
4 September 1725
Palace of Fontainebleau
eleven children
10 May 1774
Palace of Versailles
aged 64

11th creation: 1730–1733 – House of Bourbon

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Name Portrait Birth Marriages Death
Philip
1730–1733
 
30 August 1730
Palace of Versailles
fourth son of Louis XV of France and Marie Leszczyńska
never married 17 April 1733
Palace of Versailles
aged 2

12th creation: 1755–1795 – House of Bourbon

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Name Portrait Birth Marriages Death
Louis the Desired
1755–1795
also: comte de Provence, comte du Maine, comte de Perche and comte de Senoches
 
17 November 1755
Palace of Versailles
fourth son of Louis, Dauphin of France and Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony
Princess Marie Joséphine of Savoy
14 May 1771
Palace of Versailles
no issue
16 September 1824
Paris
aged 68
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1883–present – House of Bourbon

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After the death of Henri, Count of Chambord, only the descendants of Philip V of Spain remained of the male line of Louis XIV. The most senior of these, the Carlist claimant to the Spanish throne, became the eldest of the Capetians. Some of them used the courtesy title of Duke of Anjou, as shown below:

Name Portrait Birth Marriages Death
Jaime
1909–1931
also: duque de Madrid
 
27 June 1870
Vevey
third son of Carlos, Duke of Madrid and Princess Margherita of Bourbon-Parma
never married 2 October 1931
Paris
aged 60
Alfonso Carlos
1931–1936
also: duque de San Jaime
 
12 September 1849
London
second son of Juan, Count of Montizón and Archduchess Maria Beatrix of Austria-Este
Infanta Maria das Neves of Portugal
26 April 1871
Kleinheubach
no issue
29 September 1936
Vienna
aged 87

At the death of Alfonso Carlos in 1936, the Capetian seniority passed to the exiled King of Spain, Alfonso XIII. In 1941, Infante Jaime, Duke of Segovia, succeeded his father Alfonso XIII (Alphonse I of France according to the Legitimists) as the heir male of Louis XIV and therefore as the Legitimist claimant to the French throne. He then adopted the title of Duke of Anjou.

Name Portrait Birth Marriages Death
Jaime
1941–1975
also: duque de Segovia, duque de Madrid
 
23 June 1908
Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso
second son of King Alfonso XIII of Spain and Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg
(1) Emmanuelle de Dampierre
4 March 1935
Church of San Ignacio de Loyola, Rome
two children
(2) Charlotte Tiedemann
3 August 1949
Innsbruck
no issue
20 March 1975
St. Gallen
aged 66
Alfonso
1975–1989
also: duque de Cadiz, duc de Bourbon
 
20 April 1936
Rome
eldest son of Jaime and Emmanuelle de Dampierre
María del Carmen Martínez-Bordiú y Franco
8 March 1972
Royal Palace of El Pardo
two sons
30 January 1989
Beaver Creek Resort
aged 52
Louis Alphonse
1989–present
also: duc de Touraine, duc de Bourbon
 
25 April 1974
Madrid
second son of Alfonso and María del Carmen Martínez-Bordiú y Franco
María Margarita Vargas Santaella
6 November 2004
La Romana
four children
living

On 8 December 2004, Henry, Count of Paris, Duke of France, Orléanist Pretender to the French throne, granted the title Duke of Anjou to his nephew, Charles-Philippe d'Orléans. Since he did not recognize his cousin's courtesy title, in his view, the title was available since 1795.

Name Portrait Birth Marriages Death
Charles-Philippe
2004–present
 
3 March 1973
Paris
eldest son of Michel, Count of Évreux, and Beatrice Pasquier de Franclieu
Diana Álvares Pereira de Melo, 11th Duchess of Cadaval
21 June 2008
Cathedral of Évora
living

References

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  1. ^ Jones, Colin (1994). The Cambridge Illustrated History of France (1st ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 124. ISBN 0-521-43294-4.
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