Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany was a key player in English and French politics during the late 12th century. He was the fourth son of arguably the most powerful family in medieval Europe at the time. His father, Henry II of England, ruled an empire that included the current United Kingdom as well as half of modern day France. His brothers were Richard the Lionheart and King John of ill fame. Surrounded by such illustrious family members, Geoffrey was reduced to a shadow and lost to history. Contemporary chroniclers and current historians often overlook Geoffrey or use him to reflect on the better known figures of his time. To search for Geoffrey is to question all that is known about him, to look beyond what historians have written, and by looking through the cracks in history, find who he really was.
