Representatives of the Anjou dynasty descended from Count Ingelger, who at the end of the 9th century. owned land in the district of Orleans and Anjou. His descendants were such famous rulers as Henry II Plantagenet and Richard the Lionheart. In the Middle Ages, the House of Anjou, owning vast lands in Europe, created the powerful "Anjou Empire." In modern times, some representatives of the dynasty continued to bear the title of Anjou dukes, but their influence on European politics was no longer so significant.