Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany, was the most strategically astute of Henry II’s sons: a masterful broker who used marriage, local alliances, and political finesse to build real power in a fractious Angevin world.

His ironic end—killed in a tournament—removed the one brother who might have steadied the family’s chaos, showing how medieval prestige rituals could undo even the smartest players and reshuffle the dynasty’s fate.