ons. Maine was effectively united with Anjou by the marriage of Foulques V to the
heiress of that county. In 1128, his heir, Geoffroi Plantagenêt, married Matilda, daughter
and heiress of Henry I, king of England and duke of Normandy. Geoffroi, count of
Anjou, Maine, and Touraine, thus had a claim to both England and Normandy. The claim
was frustrated, however, when Stephen of Blois, King Henry’s nephew, seized the
English throne in 1135. Geoffroi, forced to fight for his wife’s inheritance, conquered
Normandy in 1144. The war in England continued for another decade.
When Geoffroi’s son Henry became count of Anjou in 1151, he also governed
Normandy and pursued his claim to England. The following year, Henry gained the vast
duchy of Aquitaine by marrying its heiress, Eleanor. As the result of a political settlement
with Stephen, he secured the throne of England in 1154. Anjou thus became part of an
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