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
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
''Ferox brachium''), was the
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 succe ...
and
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
...
from 963 to his retirement in 990.
William's father,
William III William III or William the Third may refer to:
Kings
* William III of Sicily (c. 1186–c. 1198)
* William III of England and Ireland or William III of Orange or William II of Scotland (1650–1702)
* William III of the Netherlands and Luxembourg ...
, abdicated to the abbey of Saint-Cyprien in
Poitiers
Poitiers (, , , ; Poitevin: ''Poetàe'') is a city on the River Clain in west-central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and the historical centre of Poitou. In 2017 it had a population of 88,291. Its agglomerat ...
and left the government to Fierebras. His mother was
Gerloc, the daughter of Duke
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 ...
. His sister was
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, wife of
Hugh Capet
Hugh Capet (; french: Hugues Capet ; c. 939 – 14 October 996) was the King of the Franks from 987 to 996. He is the founder and first king from the House of Capet. The son of the powerful duke Hugh the Great and his wife Hedwige of Saxony, ...
, 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 Count of Anjou was the ruler of the County of Anjou, first granted by Charles the Bald in the 9th century to Robert the Strong. Ingelger and his son, Fulk the Red, were viscounts until Fulk assumed the title of Count of Anjou. The Robertians ...
, the first time against
Geoffrey Greymantle, who had taken
Loudun
Loudun (; ; Poitevin dialect, Poitevin: ''Loudin'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Vienne Departments of France, department and the Regions of France, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, western France.
It is located south of the town of Chin ...
.
In 988, he went to war with the newly elected
king of France
France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the Kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions.
Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I () as the first ...
, 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 Louis may refer to:
* Louis (coin)
* Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name
* Louis (surname)
* Louis (singer), Serbian singer
* HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy
See also
Derived or associated terms
* Lewis ( ...
, the son of
Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine
Charles (953 – 22 June 992×995) was the Duke of Lower Lorraine from 977 until his death.
Life
Born at Reims in the summer of 953, Charles was the son of Louis IV of France and Gerberga of Saxony and the younger brother of King Lothair. He wa ...
, the last legitimate
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippin ...
heir. He opened the
palace of Poitiers
The palace of the Counts of Poitou/Dukes of Aquitaine in Poitiers in Poitou in western France is a medieval testimony of the Plantagenet style of architecture.
Until 2019, this building was used as a courthouse.
Origin
The former Merovingian ...
to him and treated him as royalty, regarding him as the true heir to the
French throne
France was ruled by Monarch, monarchs from the establishment of the West Francia, Kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions.
Classical French historiography usually regards Cl ...
.
In 968, he married
Emma or Emmeline,
[Bernard S. Bachrach, ''Fulk Nerra, the Neo-Roman Consul, 987-1040'', (University of California Press, 1993), 268.] daughter of
Theobald I of Blois
Theobald I (913–975), called the Trickster (known as ''le Tricheur'' –meaning “cheater”– in French), was first Viscount of Blois and Viscount of Tours, and then from 956, Count of Blois, Chartres and Châteaudun, as well as Count of To ...
and
Luitgarde of Vermandois
Luitgarde of Vermandois ( – 9 February 978) was a French noblewoman. She was a countess of Vermandois by birth and a duchess consort of Normandy by her first marriage, and a countess consort of Blois by her second. She was a daughter of H ...
. Their marriage was stormy, in part because of William's indulgence in the pursuit of women and, as 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
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 ...
until 1004. Their second son, Ebles, died sometime after 997.
Notes
Sources
*Owen, D. D. R. ''Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen and Legend''. 1993.
*''Nouvelle Biographie Générale''. Paris, 1859.
See also
*
Dukes of Aquitaine family tree
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 succe ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:William IV, Duke of Aquitaine
937 births
994 deaths
House of Poitiers
William 04 of Aquitaine
Counts of Poitiers
10th-century French people