Amalric was born in 1136 to King Fulk, the former count of Anjou who had married the heiress of the kingdom, Melisende, daughter of King Baldwin II.

Baldwin was married to the Armenian noblewoman Morphia of Melitene, and had four daughters: Hodierna and Alice, who married into the families of the Count of Tripoli and Prince of Antioch ; Ioveta, who became an influential abbess ; and the eldest, Melisende, who was his heir and succeeded him upon his death in 1131, with her husband Fulk V of Anjou as king-consort.

Fulk was an experienced crusader, who had brought military support to the kingdom during a pilgrimage in 1120.

Fulk was then faced with a new and more dangerous enemy: the atabeg Zengi of Mosul, who had taken control of Aleppo and had set his sights on Damascus as well ; the union of these three states would have been a serious blow to the growing power of Jerusalem.

Heraclius offered the " keys of the Holy Sepulchre, those of the Tower of David and the banner of the Kingdom of Jerusalem ", but not the crown itself, to both Philip II of France and Henry II of England ; the latter, as a grandson of Fulk, was a first cousin of the royal family of Jerusalem, and had promised to go on crusade after the murder of Thomas Becket.

In the second quarter of the 10th century Fulk the Red had already usurped the title of count, which his descendants kept for three centuries.

He was succeeded first by his son Fulk II the Good ( 941 or 942 – c. 960 ), and then by the son of the latter, Geoffrey I Grisegonelle ( Greytunic ) ( c. 960 – 21 July 987 ), who inaugurated a policy of expansion, having as its objects the extension of the boundaries of the ancient countship and the reconquest of those parts of it which had been annexed by the neighbouring states ; for, though western Anjou had been recovered from the dukes of Brittany since the beginning of the 10th century, in the east all the district of Saumur had already by that time fallen into the hands of the counts of Blois and Tours.

Geoffrey Martel, having no children, had bequeathed the countship to his eldest nephew, Geoffrey III the Bearded, son of Geoffrey, count of Gâtinais and of Ermengarde, daughter of Fulk Nerra.

But Fulk le Réchin ( the Cross-looking ), brother of Geoffrey the Bearded, who had at first been contented with an appanage consisting of Saintonge and the châtellenie of Vihiers, having allowed Saintonge to be taken in 1062 by the duke of Aquitaine, took advantage of the general discontent aroused in the countship by the unskilful policy of Geoffrey to make himself master of Saumur ( 25 February 1067 ) and Angers ( 4 April ), and cast Geoffrey into prison at Sablé.

In order, however, to obtain his recognition as count, Fulk IV Réchin ( 1068 – 14 April 1109 ) had to carry on a long struggle with his barons, to cede Gâtinais to King Philip I, and to do homage to the count of Blois for Touraine.

Baldwin II suspected that once he had died, Fulk would repudiate Melisende, set her and her children aside in favor of Elias, Fulk's younger but full grown son from his first marriage as an heir to Jerusalem.

Fulk's behavior was in keeping with his ruling philosophy, as in Anjou Fulk had squashed any attempts by local towns to administer themselves and strong armed his vassals into submission.

On 2 July 922, Charles lost his most faithful supporter, Herve, Archbishop of Rheims, who had succeeded Fulk in 900.

After his companion Hugh of Beauvais urged the king to repudiate her as well, knights of her kinsman Fulk Nerra had Beauvais murdered.

After the siege ended and Odo retreated, Fulk had to deal with hostilities along the western frontier of his lands.

With his most troublesome enemy dead, Fulk captured Tours which had previously been held by the Count of Blois.

His father Fulk, the former count of Anjou, had married the heiress of the kingdom, Melisende, daughter of Baldwin II.

He was 13 years old when Fulk died in a hunting accident in 1143, and the kingdom legally passed to his mother, who had ruled with Fulk as a consort.

With a woman and a child ruling Jerusalem, the political situation was somewhat tense ; the northern crusader states of Tripoli, Antioch, and Edessa increasingly asserted their independence, and there was no king to impose the suzerainty of Jerusalem as Baldwin II or Fulk had done.

The other crusader states to the north feared that Fulk would attempt to impose the suzerainty of Jerusalem over them, as Baldwin II had done ; but as Fulk was far less powerful than his deceased father-in-law, the northern states rejected his authority.

He taught at Paris in the academic year 1232-33, but was appointed to a delegation by Henry III of England in 1235, along with Simon Langton and Fulk Basset, to negotiate for the renewal of the peace between England and France.

In 1134 Hugh II of Jaffa revolted against Fulk, allying with the Muslim garrison at Ascalon, for which he was convicted of treason in absentia.

William then turned his attention to the continent, returning to Normandy in early 1073 to deal with the invasion of Maine by Fulk le Rechin, the Count of Anjou.

An Angevin attack on Maine was defeated in late 1076 or 1077, with Count Fulk le Rechin wounded in the unsuccessful attack.

William was able to make peace with Philip in 1077, and secured a truce with Count Fulk in late 1077 or early 1078.

Remains of the fortress of Langeais, built by Fulk IIIHis son Fulk III Nerra ( 21 July 987 – 21 June 1040 ) found himself confronted on his accession with a coalition of Odo I, count of Blois, and Conan I of Rennes.

Fulk V the Young ( 14 April 1109 – 1129 ) succeeded to the countship of Maine on the death of Elias ( 11 July 1110 ); but this increase of Angevin territory came into such direct collision with the interests of Henry I of England, who was also duke of Normandy, that a struggle between the two powers became inevitable.

Baldwin II perceived that Fulk, an ambitious man with grown sons to spare, was also a threat to Baldwin II's family and interest, and specifically a threat to his daughter Melisende.

Baldwin II held a coronation ceremony investing the kingship of Jerusalem jointing between his daughter, his grandson Baldwin III, and with Fulk.

However, with the aid of his crusader knights, Fulk excluded Melisende from granting titles, offering patronage, and of issuing grants, deplomas, and charters.

The estrangement between husband and wife was a convenient political tool that Fulk used in 1134 when he accused Hugh II of Le Puiset, Count of Jaffa, of having an affair with Melisende.

Melisende enjoyed the support of the Church throughout her lifetime ; from her appointment as Baldwin II's successor, throughout the conflict with Fulk, and later when Baldwin III would come of age.

King Fulk of Jerusalem, fearing that the emperor's presence with overwhelming military force would constrain him to make an act of homage and formally recognise Byzantine suzerainty over his kingdom, begged the emperor to bring only a modest escort.

Although the marriage produced the necessary heir, Philip fell in love with Bertrade de Montfort, the wife of Count Fulk IV of Anjou.

The 11th-century keep – built by Fulk III, Count of Anjou – measures with walls thick.

R. D. Fulk notes that Snorri's Prose Edda account " conflicts with the poetic version, as the Edda presents a Noah-like figure, while the latter has Bergelmir laid ( lagiðr ) in the lúðr, implying he is an infant, as in the Scyld story.

The first castle on this site, situated between Blois and Amboise, was built by Odo I, Count of Blois, in the 10th century, with the purpose of protecting his lands from attacks from his feudal rivals, Fulk Nerra, Count of Anjou.

In 893, Arnulf switched his support from Odo to Charles the Simple after being persuaded by Fulk ( Archbishop of Reims ) that it was in his best interests.

On the death of Odo I, Fulk seized Tours ( 996 ); but King Robert the Pious turned against him and took the town again ( 997 ).

In 1016 a fresh struggle arose between Fulk and Odo II, the new count of Blois.

Odo II was utterly defeated at Pontlevoy ( 6 July 1016 ), and a few years later, while Odo was besieging Montboyau, Fulk surprised and took Saumur ( 1026 ).

Founded in 992 by Fulk Nerra, Count of Anjou, the castle was soon attacked by Odo I, Count of Blois.

While the land belong to Fulk, the area was under the control of Odo.

To distract Odo from the construction work, which was complete by 994, Fulk carried out intermittent raids on his lands.

The siege continued into the summer and Fulk began negotiating with Odo.

Richer, a contemporary chronicler favourable to Odo, asserted that Fulk agreed to surrender but later reneged, claiming the agreement was not binding, though it is uncertain whether this was the case.

Faced with the king's army, Odo agreed to leave Fulk in peace.

Odo II died in battle in 1037 and was succeeded by his son, Theobald ; on receiving the news of his rival's demise, Fulk set about recapturing Château de Langeais.