Despite being taken and razed by Henry II Plantagenêt in 1166, much of the fortress
has been preserved through extensive and frequent restorations.
E.Kay Harris
Besnard, Charles. “Le château de Fougères.” Bulletin monumental 76(1912):5–21.
Finó, J.-F. Forteresses de la France médiévale. Paris: Picard, 1970.
Gillot, G. Notice succincte sur le château de Fougères. Fougères: Imprimerie de La Chronique,
1949.
——. Fougères, heures épiques, heures tragiques: épisodes de son histoire. Rennes: Bretonne,
1951.
FOULQUES
. Names of counts of Anjou. From the 10th to the 12th century, an extraordinary line of
counts transformed Anjou into a major territorial principality. Because of the prevalence
of the name Foulques, the family is sometimes referred to as the Fulconian dynasty.
Throughout the 11th century, the Fulconians were able to battle both the Anglo-Norman
and French kings for control of western Francia.
The real founder of the dynasty was Foulques I le Roux (ca. 888–941), viscount of the
city of Angers. By 930, he had usurped the title of count from his Robertian overlords.
Angevin expansion began with his son, Foulques II le Bon (r. 941–60), who married the
widow of the count of Nantes. While unsuccessful in exerting control over the region,
Angevin counts would continue to claim the Nantais.
Foulques II’s grandson, Foulques III Nerra (r. 987–1040), although only seventeen at
his accession, soon displayed the qualities that enabled him to create what has been called
“the first Angevin empire.” The central feature of Nerra’s success was his rivalry with the
count of Blois. Victories at Conquereuil in 992 and Pontlevoy in 1016 gave Nerra control
over the Nantais and ended Blésois ambitions in Brittany. Of more importance was
Nerra’s drive against Blésois lands in the Touraine, which would culminate in the
conquest of Tours by his successor. Elsewhere, Nerra extended Angevin domination into
Vendôme, the Gâtinais and Maine, and even Aquitaine. Perhaps Nerra’s greatest
achievement was the construction of a remarkable system of stone castles that ensured
the security of his newly expanded realm throughout the 11th century. Despite a
reputation for ferocity, he died not in battle but on his way home in 1040 from the last of
three pilgrimages he made to Jerusalem.
The rule of Nerra’s grandson, Foulques IV le Rechin (r. 1068–1109), saw a reduction
of Angevin power. When Count Geoffroi Martel died in 1060 without an heir, the
countship went to Martel’s nephew, Geoffroi le Barbu. Foulques le Rechin, the new
count’s younger brother, received only the Saintonge and Viliers and soon lost these to
the count of Poitiers. Allying himself with a coalition of barons disgruntled with Count
Geoffroi’s incompetence, Foulques seized the countship and imprisoned his brother in
1068. The Angevin barons took the opportunity to advance their own interests. Castles
became the hereditary fiefs of their lords as they slipped from the count’s direct control.
As a result, Angevin power suffered a severe blow. Yet the achievement of Foulques IV
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