Second House of Anjou

After the Plantagenets, Anjou was integrated into the French royal domains. Now the Count of Anjou was appointed by the King of France, usually to a younger brother or close relation (This is a dynastie apanagiste.) Although the Comte d'Anjou owed loyalty and obedience to the King, the Angevin line became a dynasty in its own right. Such is the case with the so-called "second house of Anjou."

David d'Angers, Charles Ier, c. 1846.

1. Charles Ier of Anjou (1227-1285)
Received comté from his brother King Louis IX
Comte d'Anjou, Roi des Deux Siciles / King of Two Sicilies 1266 / King of Jerusalem
1. m. Béatrice de Provence; 2. m. Marguerite de Bourgogne

1282: Sicilian Vespers

In Sicily, marriages were not celebrated during Lent, so that many new couples were blessed on Easter. On March 30, 1282, in Palermo, French soldiers behaved inappropriately to the brides (directing against them "grossières plaisanteries", and otherwise interfering with the women). The Easter bells called the populace to a bloody insurrection against the Angevins, crying "mort aux Français". In a month, the entire kingdom was lost. Successive heirs of Anjou ruled the throne of Naples, but could not claim the title "King of Two Sicilies."

2. Charles (1254-1309)

Reconstruction of the banner used in Hungary during the reign of Charles Robert (Carobert) and Louis the Great, made up of the family colours of the Angevins and Árpáds.

King of Naples and Jerusalem
m. Marie of Hungary.
This match brought Angevins a claim to the throne of Hungary. Their grand-son was crowned King Carobert of Hungary in 1310, followed by his son Louis Ier, dit Le Grand. At Louis's death in 1382, his daughter married the new King of Hungary, Sigismond of Luxembourg.

3. So, the grandchildren of Charles Ier could boast titles of nobility all over Europe. The Angevins also followed a long tradition of dedicating some children to the Church, and Louis was canonized a saint in 1317.


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Last update: June 5, 2003
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