Ebalus, or Ebles Manzer, or Manser (c. 870 – 935), was
Count of Poitou
Among the people who have borne the title of Count of Poitiers (or ''Poitou'', in what is now France but in the Middle Ages became part of Aquitaine) are:
*Bodilon
* Warinus (638–677), son of Bodilon
* Hatton (735-778)
Carolingian Counts
...
and
Duke of Aquitaine
The Duke of Aquitaine ( oc, Duc d'Aquitània, french: Duc d'Aquitaine, ) was the ruler of the medieval region of Aquitaine (not to be confused with modern-day Aquitaine) under the supremacy of Frankish, English, and later French kings.
As su ...
on two occasions: from 890 to 892; and then from 902 until his death in 935 (Poitou) and from 928 until 932 (Aquitaine).
Early life
Ebles was an illegitimate son of
Ranulf II of Aquitaine Ranulf II (also spelled ''Rannoux'', ''Rannulf'', ''Ramnulf'', and ''Ranulph'') (850 – 5 August 890) was Count of Poitou from 866 and Duke of Aquitaine from 887. On the death of Charles the Fat in 888, he styled himself King of Aquitaine and did s ...
. "Manzer", or "
Mamzer
In the Hebrew Bible and Jewish religious law, a ''mamzer'' ( he, ממזר, , "estranged person"; plural ''mamzerim'') is a person who is born as the result of certain forbidden relationships or incest (as it is defined by the Bible), or the de ...
", is a Hebrew word that means bastard, son of a forbidden relationship, although in the case of Ebles it may have been applied to bastardy in general.
Count of Poitou
Upon the death of his father (who was poisoned), Ebles assumed his father's mantle and acquired the role of Count of Poitou. But Ebles could not hold on to the title for long.
Aymar, a descendant of one of Ranulf II's predecessors, challenged Ebles' right to rule, as Ebles was merely a bastard son. In 892,
Aymar, who was supported by
Eudes of France, overthrew Ebles, and Ebles fled to the safety of his father's allies, Count Gerald of Aurillac and
William the Pious, count of Auvergne and Duke of Aquitaine. William the Pious had taken Ebles under his care and assured the boy's education after the death of Ebles' father.
[Manuel Ortiz de la Vega, ''Los Héroes y las Grandezas de la Tierra'' (Madrid: Libreria de D. Jose Cuesta, 1856), 136.]
Poitiers
In 902, Ebles, with the assistance of William the Pious, a distant relative, conquered Poitiers while
Aymar was away, and reestablished himself in his former position.
Charles III
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person t ...
, who knew Ebles as a childhood companion, then formally invested Ebles with the title, Count of Poitou. Ebles would hold this title until his death.
The comital title was the only one to which he ever had legitimate investiture. Ebles allotted the abbey of
Saint-Maixent
Saint-Maixent () is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays de la Loire in north-western France.
See also
*Communes of the Sarthe department
The following is a list of the 354 communes of the Sarthe department of France.
...
to
Savary, Viscount of Thouars, who had been his constant supporter. He restructured Poitou by creating new
viscounties in
Aulnay and
Melle
Melle may refer to:
People
* Basil Melle (1891–1966), South African cricketer
* Gil Mellé (1931–2004), American artist, jazz musician and film composer
* John van Melle (1887–1953), Dutch-born South African author
* Melle Mel (born 19 ...
and dissolved the title and position of
Viscount of Poitou upon the death of its holder,
Maingaud, in 925.
In 904, he conquered the
Limousin
Limousin (; oc, Lemosin ) is a former administrative region of southwest-central France. On 1 January 2016, it became part of the new administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It comprised three departments: Corrèze, Creuse, and Haute-Vienn ...
.
French commanders
In 911 he, with two other French commanders were aligned in opposition to
Rollo
Rollo ( nrf, Rou, ''Rolloun''; non, Hrólfr; french: Rollon; died between 928 and 933) was a Viking who became the first ruler of Normandy, today a region in northern France. He emerged as the outstanding warrior among the Norsemen who had se ...
(future founder of Normandy), who had plundered the Northern French countryside. Ebles and the other two commanders intended to lead their armies in defense of the city of
Chartres. Part of Rollo's army camped on a hill (Mount-Levis) north of the city, while the rest were stationed on the plains outside Chartres.
Battle
On 20 July 911, the battle between the French and Danish armies commenced. "Rollo and his forces were shamefully routed, smitten, as the legend tells, with corporeal blindness. A panic assuredly fell upon the heroic commander, a species of mental infirmity discernible in his descendants: the contagious terror unnerved the host. Unpursued, they dispersed and fled without resistance." At the end of the day, 6,800 Danes lay dead on the field of battle.
Ebles was somewhat slow in arriving at Chartres, so he was unable to "take his due share in the conflict." His victorious partners proudly boasted of their success, and mocked Ebles and his tardy army. To redeem his honor and quiet the ridicule, Ebles accepted a challenge to confront the remnant of the Danish army that remained camped on the Mont-Levis. But instead of driving the Danes away, Ebles' army was defeated soundly. "In the dark of the night, the Northmen, sounding their horns and making a terrible clamour, rushed down the mount and stormed" Ebles camp. Ebles fled and hid in a drum in a fuller's workshop. His cowardice and dishonor was derided in a popular French ballad of the
Plantagenet
The House of Plantagenet () was a royal house which originated from the lands of Anjou in France. The family held the English throne from 1154 (with the accession of Henry II at the end of the Anarchy) to 1485, when Richard III died in ...
age.
Duke of Aquitaine
When Ebles' benefactor,
William the Pious, died, William was succeeded as Duke of Aquitaine by
William the Younger. In 927, William the Younger died, and he left his title to his brother
Acfred; but Acfred did not live even a year. Acfred made Ebles his heir, and in 928 Ebles assumed the titles Duke of Aquitaine,
Count of Berry
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
,
Count of Auvergne, and
Velay
Velay () is a historical area of France situated in east Haute-Loire ''département'' and south east of Massif central.
History
Julius Caesar mentioned the vellavi as subordinate of the arverni. Strabon suggested that they might have made ...
.
In 929,
King Rudolph started trying to reduce the power of Ebles. He withdrew from him access to Berry, then in 932 he transferred the titles of Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Auvergne to the
Count of Toulouse
The count of Toulouse ( oc, comte de Tolosa, french: comte de Toulouse) was the ruler of Toulouse during the 8th to 13th centuries. Originating as vassals of the Frankish kings,
the hereditary counts ruled the city of Toulouse and its surroundin ...
,
Raymond Pons. Moreover, the territory of
La Marche, which was under the control of the lord of
Charroux, vassal of Ebles, was transformed into an independent county.
Marriage and issue
Ebles' first wife was Aremburga, whom he married before 10 October 892.
His second wife was Emilienne, whom he married in 911. Following Emilienne's death in 913/915, Ebles remarried to an Adele. Some 19th-century English historians identified Adele with Ælfgifu, daughter of
Edward the Elder
Edward the Elder (17 July 924) was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 899 until his death in 924. He was the elder son of Alfred the Great and his wife Ealhswith. When Edward succeeded to the throne, he had to defeat a challenge from his cousin ...
, known to have married "a prince near the Alps", but there is nothing to support this identification. She has also been called Adela, Alaine, or Aliana.
Ebalus had one child by Emilienne, and another one by Adele:
*
William III of Aquitaine
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
married
Gerloc, daughter of
Rollo of Normandy
Rollo ( nrf, Rou, ''Rolloun''; non, Hrólfr; french: Rollon; died between 928 and 933) was a Viking who became the first ruler of Normandy, today a region in northern France. He emerged as the outstanding warrior among the Norsemen who had se ...
*
Ebalus, Bishop of Limoges and Treasurer of St. Hilary of Poitiers.
[Manuel Ortiz de la Vega, ''Los Héroes y las Grandezas de la Tierra'' (Madrid: Libreria de D. Jose Cuesta, 1856), 136]
See also
*
Dukes of Aquitaine
The Duke of Aquitaine ( oc, Duc d'Aquitània, french: Duc d'Aquitaine, ) was the ruler of the medieval region of Aquitaine (not to be confused with modern-day Aquitaine) under the supremacy of Frankish, English, and later French kings.
As succ ...
Sources
*Lewis, Archibald R. ''The Development of Southern French and Catalan Society, 718-1050''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ebalus, Duke of Aquitaine
870s births
935 deaths
Year of birth uncertain
House of Poitiers
Dukes of Aquitaine
Counts of Poitiers
10th-century people from West Francia
10th-century French people