William, IV Duke of Aquitaine

Male Abt 937 - 994  (~ 57 years)


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  • Name William , IV Duke of Aquitaine  [1
    Suffix IV Duke of Aquitaine 
    Born Abt 937  [1, 2
    Gender Male 
    Died 03 Feb 993/94  [1, 3
    Notes 
    • He married Emma de Blois, daughter of Thibaud I, Comte de Blois and Luitgarda de Vermandois, in 968.

      Guillaume IV, Duc d'Aquitaine also went by the nick-name of Guillaume 'Firabras' (or in English, William 'Ironarm'). He was a member of the House of Poitiers. He gained the title of Comte de Poitou. He succeeded to the title of Duc d'Aquitaine in 963.

      William IV (937 - 3 February 994), called Fierebras or Fierebrace (meaning "Proud Arm", from the French Fier-à-bras or Fièrebrace, in turn from the Latin Ferox brachium), was the Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Poitou from 963 to his retirement in 990.

      William's father, William III, abdicated to the abbey of Saint-Cyprien in Poitiers and left the government to Fierebras. His mother was Gerloc, the daughter of Duke Rollo of Normandy. His sister was Adelaide, wife of Hugh Capet, the king against whom William later battled for his duchy. His early reign was characterised by many wars. He fought frequently against the counts of Anjou, the first time against Geoffrey Greymantle, who had taken Loudun.

      In 988, he went to war with the newly-elected king of France, Hugh Capet, whom he refused to recognise. Capet had been granted Aquitaine by King Lothair before the latter had been reconciled to William's father. Capet renewed his claim on the great duchy and invaded it that year. A royal army was defeated on the plain of the Loire Valley. William sheltered the young Louis, the son of Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine, the last legitimate Carolingian heir. He opened the palace of Poitiers to him and treated him as royalty, regarding him as the true heir to the French throne.

      In 968, he married Emma or Emmeline, daughter of Theobald I of Blois and Luitgarde of Vermandois. Their marriage was stormy, in part because of William's indulgence in the pursuit of women and, a hunting aficionado, wild animals. She banished his paramours, they separated twice for long periods, and finally he retired to a monastery, as his father had done, leaving Emma to rule Aquitaine in the name of their son William until 1004. Their second son, Ebles, died sometime after 997.
    Person ID I1528  Bosdet Genealogy
    Last Modified 16 May 2013 

    Father William, III Duke of Aquitaine,   b. Abt 915, Poitiers, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 03 Apr 963, Saint-Maixent-l'École, Poitou, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 48 years) 
    Relationship Natural 
    Mother Adele of Normandy,   b. Abt 912,   d. 14 Oct 962, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 50 years) 
    Relationship Natural 
    Married Abt 936  [4
    Family ID F431  Group Sheet

    Family Emma of Blois,   b. Abt 950,   d. 1003  (Age ~ 53 years) 
    Married 968  [5
    Children 
     1. William, V Duke of Aquitaine,   b. 969,   d. 31 Jan 1029/30, Maillezais, Vendée, Pays de la Loire, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 61 years)
    Family ID F2076  Group Sheet

  • Sources 
    1. [S174] Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_IV_of_Aquitaine.

    2. [S188] Royal Genealogies Website (ROYAL92.GED).

    3. [S189] Dynasties of the World: a chronological and genealogical handbook, John Morby, (Name: Oxford University Press; Location: Oxford, Oxfordshire, U.K.; Date: 1989;).

    4. [S174] Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_III_of_Aquitaine.

    5. [S174] Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_of_Blois.