"In alliance with King
Henry I of France, Count Geoffrey laid siege to
Tours in the winter of 1042–3. After the battle of
Nouy on 21 August 1044
Theobald III, Count of Blois (1039–89) was taken prisoner by [Count Geoffrey], to whom he surrendered Tours with
Chinon and
Langeais, excluding, however, the monastery of
Marmoutier." Henry and Geoffrey became estranged after this, and were not reconciled again until c. 1052, when their names appear together in a charter of August of that year. This is in conjunction with the rebellion of
William of Talou against the duke of Normandy, and Count Geoffrey's taking possession of the city of Mans (shortly after 26 March 1051). Allied once again with King Henry, Count Geoffrey assaulted Normandy and seized the towns of
Domfront and
Alençon, evidently with the help of treachery within. Duke William laid siege to Domfront, which resisted his efforts to retake it throughout the winter of 1052. At this point Talou withdrew from the siege and started his rebellion. Duke William rapidly retook Alençon and then Domfront, driving Count Geoffrey back across the Norman border into Maine. While Count Geoffrey was off balance, Duke William laid siege to Talou's castle at
Arques. King Henry failed to relieve Arques, and Talou's rebellion had failed and he was exiled by late 1053. In late January, early February 1054, Count Geoffrey and King Henry together invaded Normandy and marched down the
Seine toward
Rouen. The King had divided his army and sent the other wing through eastern Normandy under the command of his brother Eudes, supported by Count Reginald of
Clermont, Count Ralph of
Montdidier, and
Guy I, Count of Ponthieu. This army was defeated in a battle near
Mortemer. Upon learning of this reverse, King Henry insisted upon retreating from Normandy, and Count Geoffrey accompanied him. For the next several years, the war was centered in the
County of Maine, with Duke William on the offensive. But King Henry in 1057, "burning to avenge the insult inflicted on him by the duke, summoned Geoffrey, count of Anjou, to prepare a large army for another expedition into Normandy." (GND) This combined effort placed Duke William temporarily on the defensive. He retreated before the invaders as they moved deeper into Normandy. After penetrating to the Bessin, the Franco-Angevin army began to ford the
River Dives near the estuary which is tidal. After the king and Count Geoffrey had crossed over, the remainder of their army got stuck on the opposite bank by the incoming tide. Duke William launched
a sudden attack and defeated them. King Henry and Count Geoffrey withdrew again from Normandy and never returned. Count Geoffrey continued to offer resistance in Maine against the Norman expansion until his death on 14 November 1060. ==Family==