Gâtinais

The Gâtinais is a landscape, a plateau in central France between the landscapes Beauce and Brie, which is bounded by the rivers Essonne, Loire, Yonne and Seine. The River Loing divides it into the Gâtinais français ( Ile de France) in the east and the Gâtinais Orléanais in the West.

The Gâtinais français corresponds to today's Arrondissement Fontainebleau in Seine- et- Marne, the Gâtinais Orléanais the arrondissement of Montargis and parts of the District Pithiviers in the Loiret.

The historic capital of the Gâtinais was Château- Landon, after the division of the landscape to the said provinces were Montargis ( for the West ) and Nemours ( for the East ). In early medieval Frankish Empire was the Gâtinais as pagus Wastinensis (or Vastinensis ) one of the five pagi of the Archbishop of Sens.

Gottfried II Ferréol married Ermengarde 1035, a daughter of Count Fulk III. Nerra of Anjou. When his son Gottfried II Martel died without issue in 1060, the County of Anjou passed to the sons of Ermengarde. Gottfried Ferréol was thus the progenitor of the second house of Anjou, Count (see: House Château -Landon ) and the derived therefrom English royal Plantagenet, Lancaster and York.

Count of Gâtinais were:

• Godfrey I ( † after 991 ) Wal [ Terius ], 997 called, probably a brother of Godfrey and I. identical with Walter II of Vexin -Valois

Fulk joined the Gâtinais from the king, since the landscape belongs to the French royal demesne.