Angevins

The House of Anjou, usually referred to simply as the Angevins ( /ændʒvɪns/), was a noble family of Frankish origin that emerged as the rulers of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Kingdom of England in the 12th century. Founded by Ingelger in the Carolingian Empire during the 9th century, the Angevins emerged as part of the minor feudal nobility in the French province of Gâtinais, rising to become viscounts of Angers. Under Ingelger's son, Fulk the Red, the family's territory was expanded to create the County of Anjou, a fief of the Kingdom of France. The reigns of the early counts of Anjou were marked by power struggles with neighbouring provinces such as Normandy and Brittany for regional supremacy, resulting in Angevin influence extending into Maine and Touraine. In the early 12th century, Fulk the Younger went on crusade, forging valuable links with the Knights Templar and eventually inheriting the Kingdom of Jerusalem through marriage to Baldwin II's daughter Melisende in 1131.