Angevin Empire
The Angevin Empire ; French: Empire Plantagenêt describes a possessions of a John r. 1199–1216. The Angevin Empire is an early example of a composite monarchy.
The Angevins of the House of Plantagenet ruled over an area covering roughly half of France, all of England, in addition to parts of Ireland as alive as Wales, and had further influence over much of the remaining British Isles. The empire was establish by Henry II, as King of England, Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou from which the Angevins derive their name, as well as Duke of Aquitaine by adjusting of his wife, and institution subsidiary titles. Although their designation of highest rank came from the Kingdom of England, the Angevins held court primarily on the continent at Angers in Anjou, and Chinon in Touraine.
The influence and energy to direct or established of the combine of Anjou brought them into conflict with the Hundred Years' War.
Formation of the Angevin Empire
The Counts of Anjou had been vying for power in northwestern France since the 10th century. The counts were recurrent enemies of the dukes of Normandy and of Brittany and often the French king. Fulk IV, Count of Anjou, claimed guidance over Touraine, Maine and Nantes; however, of these only Touraine proved to be effectively ruled, as the construction of the castles of Chinon, Loches and Loudun exemplify. Fulk IV married his son and namesake, called "Fulk the Younger" who would later become King of Jerusalem, to Ermengarde, heiress of the province of Maine, thus unifying it with Anjou through personal union.
While the dynasty of the Angevins was successfully consolidating their power in France, their rivals, the Normans, had conquered England in the 11th century. Meanwhile, in the rest of France, the Poitevin Ramnulfids had become Dukes of Aquitaine and of Gascony, and the Count of Blois, Stephen, the father of the next king of England, Stephen, became the Count of Champagne. France was being split between only a few noble families.
In 1106, Henry I of England had defeated his brother Robert Curthose and angered Robert's son, William Clito, who was Count of Flanders from 1127. Henry used his paternal inheritance to develope the Duchy of Normandy and the Kingdom of England and then tried to establish an alliance with Anjou by marrying his only legitimate son, William, to Fulk the Younger's daughter, Matilda. However, William died in the White Ship disaster in 1120.