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Anjou (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃ʒu]) is a formercounty,duchy (1360) andprovince centred on the city ofAngers in the lowerLoire Valley of westernFrance. Its traditionalLatin name wasAndegavia.
Anjou, or then the Angevin march (border lands) formed the border betweenNeustria andAquitaine. It also bordered between Neustria andBrittany.[1] Sitting on a black slate rock was theRomanfortress of Angers. It guarded the rivers Mayenne andLoire that flowed around it.[1]
The founder or firstcount of Anjou wasIngelger.[2]
Anjou became a part ofEngland from 1151-1199, whenHenry IIinherited the county. He became theCount of Anjou in addition to his other titles. His (third) sonRichard the Lionheart became count after his father. At the peak of its power theAngevin Empire spread fromUlster to thePyrenees. Richard had no legitimate issue, so in 1199 Anjou passed to his nephew,Arthur of Brittany. He was the son of Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany. The Crown of England passed to Henry II’s fifth son and Richard’s youngest brother,John. Arthur was taken prisoner by King John in 1203 and was never seen again. In 1204, Anjou was taken back byPhilip II of France. It was later elevated to a duchy for Prince Louis, the second son ofJohn II of France. It remained a duchy until theFrench Revolution. Today, Anjou corresponds largely to the present-daydépartement ofMaine-et-Loire.
