Anjou

French noble family established in 9th century.

1st House:

Fulk I to Geoffrey Plantagenet; Geoffrey's son became King of England as Henry II.

2nd House:

Plantagenet Kings of England, especially Henry II, Richard I and John. Much of Englishland in France lost to King Philip II Augustus; countship attached to France (1259); no Plantagenets after John were Counts of Anjou, though called Angevins.

3rd House:

Kings of Naples & Sicily - Anjou given (1246) by King Louis IX to brother Charles, Count of Provence, later King of Naples and Sicliy (1266-1285); Charles succeeded by son Charles II (1285-1309). Charles II had five childred - five interrelated lines of European rulers:

(1) Hungary:

From oldest son Charles Martel (1272?-1295), king in opposition to Andrew III; other members included Charles Robert, founder of Anjou line of Hungary (1308-1342); Louis the Great, King of Hungary (1342-1382), Poland (1370-1382); Mary (r.1382-1395), who married Sigismund, later Holy Roman Emperor.

(2) Naples:

From second son Robert; succeeded father Charles II as King of Naples (1309-1342); he succeeded by granddaughter Joanna I, Queen of Naples (1343-1382), who adopted Louis of Anjou (see (4) below).

(3) Naples:

From third son John, Duke of Durazzo; grandson Charles III, King of Naples (1381-1386); he succeeded by son Ladislas (1386-1414) and daughter Joanna II (1414-1485) - direct line extinct.

(4) France, Anjou, Naples:

From fourth child Margaret, married Charles de Valois; her son Philip chosen (1328) as Philip IV, first King of House of Valois - countship reverted to crown; Philip succeeded by son John II (1350-1364) - countship bestowed (1357) by John on second son Louis I and raised to duchy (1360); Louis adopted by Joanna I as successor to Naples (1382-1384) - titular king only; next two kings titular only - Louis II (r.1389-1399) and Louis III (r.1417-1434); Louis II's second son Rene last ruling Duke of Anjou (1434-1480), also King of Naples (1435-1442) after death of Joanna II but driven out by King Alfonso I (see (5) below); Rene's daughter Margaret of Anjou married King Henry VI of England.

(5) Aragon & Naples:

From fifth child Blanche, who married James II, King of Aragon; line descended to Alfonso V (1416-1458) - Alfonso I, King of Naples (1443-1458); his natural son Ferdinand I succeeded as King of Naples (1458-1496); he waas followed by Alfonso II (r.1494-1495) and by Ferdinand II (r.1495-1496), who was the last of the House of Anjou in Naples.

Duchy of Anjou reverted to French crown (1480) - bestowed later on Francois, son of Henry II of France, but on his death (1584) became part of the royal domain; title borne by other French Kings and members of the royal family but without implying territorial sovereignty.

Article added: 2006-05-30 @ 3:43 am

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