The rebellious Andecavi tribe, under the Roman Empire

In 52 B.C. the Andecavi tribe, lead by Dumnacus one of its chiefs, was one of the first tribes to join forces with Vercingetorix.
The Roman occupation saw the building of many towns, roads and markets. The Germanic invasions shook the Roman Empire bringing about its end. During this same period, Anjou was evangelised under the influence of Martin, bishop of Tours.

Anjou in the days of the Merovingians

In the Early Middle Ages, the Francs extended their influence into Anjou. The first monastic communities were founded (Saint Aubin, Saint Maur).
At the beginning of the 9th century, Charlemagne brought Anjou under the management of Aquitaine. His successors made Anjou a border area.

The Royal Plantagenets dynasty

The Middles Ages in Anjou is marked by the important figures of the Plantagenet dynasty. This dynasty started with the consecutive.
Norman invasions of the 9th and 10th centuries. Henri Plantagenet, through a game of matrimonial unions and legacies, became the head of an “empire” which stretched from Scotland to the Pyrenees. From the beginning of the 13th century, the Kings of France reasserted their rights to the possessions of the Plantagenets.

The Royal Fief of Anjou

At the end of the Middle Ages, Anjou is definitely under the rule of the French crown. Back in the Capetian fold, Anjou became one of the “key ” regions against the threat of the Anglo-Britons.
The 13th and 14th centuries brought an increase in the population of Anjou, and unprecedented economic, religious and cultural development. Louis I of Anjou commissioned the magnificent tapestry of the Apocalypse.

Anjou during the Renaissance

The economic, artistic and cultural development of Anjou in the Renaissance period is remarkable (Joachim du Bellay, Jean Bodin, Jean de Lespine).
The province was subjected to the wars between Protestants and Catholics.
The 17th century is marked by the hardening of the monarchy to the provinces. Richelieu and then Louis XIV layed siege to the town of Angers during the Fronde Rebellion.

Revolutions and Counter Revolutions

It wasn’t long before the county (département) of Maine-et-Loire, which was created in 1790, was to suffer from the rifts provoked by the application of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, which caused the rebellion of 300,000 men in March 1793. The area known as “ Vendée angevine” (towns of the county located in the Mauges) was plunged into an atrocious civil war until 1795.
This war ended at the start of the 19th century. The county bore a new face, that of agriculture, specialised farming and town redevelopment. However the county kept clear of the industrial revolution, with the exception of the development of slate works.

Modern times

The agricultural revolution and urban growth continued all through the 20th century. Economic life developed due to the establishment of important companies. Decentralization gave the County Council (Conseil général) new tasks to perform where roads, education and social assistance were concerned. This is what contributed to the face of the county (département) today.