After the death of Henry I's son William Adelin in the White Ship disaster in 1120, his daughter Matilda became his sole heir. She had been married to the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry V, in 1114, but he died, leaving her childless, in 1125. Now, in the hope of producing a male heir for the dynasty, she was married to Geoffrey, Count of Anjou. The marriage produced three sons, all of whom took the name used by Geoffrey for his emblem, the broom flower (planta genista), Plantaganet.
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Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Matilda marries Geoffrey of Anjou". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 31 July 2012 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1954, accessed 23 November 2024.]