POITOU Guillaume

Abt 0937 - Abt 0994  (57 years)

• Name	POITOU Guillaume
  Birth	Abt 0937	France
  Gender	Male
  Death	Abt 03 Feb 0994	France
  Notes	Guillame "Fier-à-Bras/Fera Brachia" de Poitou (937 - 995/6). [1] Titles Guillame IV, Duke of Aquitaine. Guillame II, Comte de Poitou. Marriage Guillaume married about 968 to Emma de Blois. [1] Death & Burial Guillaume died at the end of 995 to early 996 according to Cawley.[1] A frequently suggested date is February 3, 994, according to Wikipedia (English), the source is Nouvelle Biographie Générale. The date of 5 February 995 probably comes from Owen. (Owen, D. D. R. Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen and Legend. 1993.)[2]. He was buried at the abbey church of Saint-Maixent-l'École.[3] William IV Fierebras or Fierebrace ("Iron Arm"), 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. [4] 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. Sources ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cawley, Charles. Medieval Lands: A prosopography of medieval European noble and royal families. Hosted online by the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy (FMG), accessed 2024, Dukes of Aquitaine, Comtes de Poitou. ↑ Wikipedia:William IV of Aquitaine. ↑ Ademari Historiarum III.34, MGH SS IV, p. 131. ↑ Nouvelle Biographie Générale.
  Person ID	I59615	Freeman-Smith
  Last Modified	27 Jan 2026

  
  

  Father	POITIERS Guillaume,   b. Abt 0900, Poitiers, France d. 03 Apr 0963, Poitiers, France (Age 63 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	NORMANDIE Gerloc,   b. Abt 0912, Normandie, Neustria d. Aft 14 Oct 0962, Nevers, Nievre, Bourgogne, France (Age > 50 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Marriage	0935
  Family ID	F26189	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	BLOIS Emma,   b. Abt 0948, Blois, Loir-et-Cher, Centre, Kingdom of France d. Aft 27 Dec 1003, Aquitaine, France (Age > 55 years)
  Children	1. AQUITAINE Guillaume,   b. 0969, Poitiers, Vienne, Poitou-Charentes, France d. 31 Jan 1030, Maillezais, Vendee, Pays de la Loire, France (Age ~ 60 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
  Family ID	F26466	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	27 Jan 2026