PROVENCE Wilelmo

Abt 0986 - 1018  (32 years)

• Name	PROVENCE Wilelmo
  Birth	Abt 0986	Arles, Royaume de Bourgogne
  Gender	Male
  Death	30 May 1018	Arles, Royaume de Bourgogne
  Notes	Wilelmo (fr: Guillaume) d'Arles (later Guillaume III Comte de Provence) was born in about 985 likely in or near Arles - which was the home of his parents Wilelmo / Guillaume II "le Libérateur" Comte d'Arles et Marquis de Provence and his second wife Adelais / Adélaïde Blanche d'Anjou. HIs mother, who was called Adelais "Blanca" or in French Adélaïde "Blanche", was the daughter of Foulques II Comte d'Anjou and Gerberge de Gâtinais. She was married to four husbands of noble families - Wilelmo's father (Guillaume II de Provence) being the last. Her immediately prior marriage in about 980 was to King Louis V of France, called "le Fainéant" (the Do-nothing) - the two being crowned King and Queen of Aquitaine - but their marriage ending in an annulment. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Note regarding Names of Subject and Father: His and his father's first name as reflected in records generally appear as a version of Wilelmo (Lat: Wilelmus or Vuilelmi) - and the territories of Provence and other parts of Bourgogne (Burgundy) only became a part of France in the late-1400s. However, subsequent French historians typically referred to them by their French equivalent as "Guillaume" - which often appears in summaries and citations, and is therefore used below. Note regarding Names of Mother: His mother's first name in records generally appears as a version of Adelais or Adalaidis (Adelaidis, Adalaiz etc.) - often with her dit name as Blanca or Candida. However, subsequent French historians typically referred to her by the French equivalent as "Adélaïde Blanche". Territories and Accessions Royaume(s) de Bourgogne (879-1033) The kingdoms of Basse-Bourgogne (Lower Burgundy, which comprised the County of Arles and the later Marquisate of Provence as well as Cisjurania to the north) and Haute-Bourgogne (Upper Burgundy, which extended into the Alps) were united as the Royaume de Bourgogne (Kingdom of Burgundy) in 933. [8] Note regarding Kingdom of Burgundy versus France: While Provence and much of the Kingdom of Burgundy (later the Kingdom of Arles from 1033) are part of modern-day France, the region did not become a part of France until 1483. [9] Accessions of Counts of Arles and Counts / Marquis of Provence Guillaume's grandather Boso II Comte d'Arles first appeared in an act of King Conrad of Burgundy on 7 Oct 949 as Count Boso (Boso comes) and is referred to by historians as Boso II Comte d'Arles. [10] Guillaume's father Wilelmo / Guillaume II Comte d'Arles et Marquis de Provence appeared as the Count of Arles by 20 Aug of 967 or 970 (... in Arelate civitate, publice, ante domno Willemmo, inlustrissimo comite ....). He was noted as the Marquis of Provence (incliti marchionis Vuilelmi) on 12 May 979. Since there was a prior Guillaume of Arles / Avignon (his father's brother), he is sometimes referred to by historians as Guillaume II Comte d'Arles and Guillaume I Marquis de Provence. [1] [2] Guillaume succeeded following the death of his father in 992, becoming Wilelmo / Guillaume III Comte de Provence. He did not receive the title of Marquis of Province, which was held by his father's brother Rotbaud / Rotbald I Marquis de Provence. [1] [2] [4] Marriage into the Burgundian / Italian Nobility In 1002, Guillaume de Provence married Gerberga de Mâcon (Gerberge de Bourgogne), who was a member of the Burgundian and Italian nobility as the daughter Ottone Guglielmo di Ivrea (Otte-Guillaume (fr) / Otto William (en)) I Comte de Borgogne et de Mâcon and his first wife Ermentrude de Roucy. Ottone's grandfather and father were both Kings of Italy, as King Berengar II of Italy and King Adalbert I of Ivrea, respectively. After the death of King Adalbert in 971/5, Ottone's mother Gerberga married Henry I, the Duke of Burgundy, who was also the younger brother of Hugues (Hugh) Capet, the King of France. [11] [12] [13] [14] Family Guillaume III Comte de Provence and his wife Gerberge had three sons: Wilelmo (Guillaume) Fulco Bertan (Foulques Bertrand) Gaufredo (Geoffroi / Geoffrey) Death and Succession Guillaume died in 1018 and was buried at the Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Montmajour in Arles which was associated with the Burgundian nobility of Provence. His wife donated property in his memory the following year, in a charter reflecting her and their three sons: [1] Geriberga comitissa donated property to Saint-Victor de Marseille for the soul of senioris mei Guilelmi comitis Provincie and for filiorumque nostrorum…Wilelmo, Fulcho, Jozfredus by charter dated 1019. Guillaume III was succeeded by his eldest son, who became Guillaume IV Comte de Provence. [1] Sources ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Cawley, Charles. Medieval Lands: A prosopography of medieval European noble and royal families. Published by Charles Cawley and the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy (FMG) 2006-2021, including source citations and relevant texts; hosted online by FMG, accessed 2024: Comtes de Provence 961-1112. (See also WikiTree's source page for MedLands) ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Henry Project: The Ancestors of King Henry II of England. Published online by the American Society of Genealogists (ASG) 2001-2020, including source citations and relevant texts; hosted online by ASG, accessed 2024: Guillaume I (or II) "le Libérateur" Count of Arles 967, Marquis of Provence bef. 979 ↑ Wikipédia - Guillaume 1er de Provence ↑ 4.0 4.1 Wikipédia - Guillaume II de Provence ↑ Cawley, Charles. Medieval Lands: A prosopography of medieval European noble and royal families. Published by Charles Cawley and the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy (FMG) 2006-2021, including source citations and relevant texts; hosted online by FMG, accessed 2024: Comtes d'Anjou. (See also WikiTree's source page for MedLands) ↑ The Henry Project: The Ancestors of King Henry II of England. Published online by the American Society of Genealogists (ASG) 2001-2020, including source citations and relevant texts; hosted online by ASG, accessed 2024: Adélaïde/Alix (Adelaidis) alias Blanche of Anjou ↑ Wikipédia - Adélaïde d'Anjou ↑ Wikipédia - Royaume de Bourgogne ↑ Wikipédia - Formation territoriale de la France ↑ The Henry Project: The Ancestors of King Henry II of England. Published online by the American Society of Genealogists (ASG) 2001-2020, including source citations and relevant texts; hosted online by ASG, accessed 2024: Boso, Count of Arles, fl. 949-65 ↑ Cawley, Charles. Medieval Lands: A prosopography of medieval European noble and royal families. Published by Charles Cawley and the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy (FMG) 2006-2021, including source citations and relevant texts; hosted online by FMG, accessed 2024: Comtes de Mâcon (Ivrea). (See also WikiTree's source page for MedLands) ↑ Wikipedia (it) - Ottone I Guglielmo di Borgogna ↑ Wikipédia (fr) - Otte-Guillaume de Bourgogne ↑ Wikipedia (en) - Otto William, Count of Burgundy
  Person ID	I59660	Freeman-Smith
  Last Modified	27 Jan 2026

  
  

  Father	ARLES Guillaume,   b. Abt 0958, Arles, Bouches du Rhone, Provence, France d. Abt 0993, Avignon, France (Age 35 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	ANJOU Adelais Blanche,   b. Abt 0940, Anjou, France d. 29 May 1026, Montmajour (Age 86 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Marriage	Abt 0984
  Family ID	F26168	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Father	GÉVAUDAN Etienne,   b. Abt 0910, Gévaudan, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Provence, France d. Bef 0975, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France (Age < 64 years)
  Relationship	Stepchild
  Mother	ANJOU Adelais Blanche,   b. Abt 0940, Anjou, France d. 29 May 1026, Montmajour (Age 86 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Marriage	0967
  Family ID	F26621	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	MÂCON Gerberga,   b. 0986, Royaume de Bourgogne d. Abt 1024, Royaume de Bourgogne (Age ~ 37 years)
  Marriage	1002
  Children	1. PROVENCE Geoffrey,   b. Bef 1018, Comté de Provence, Royaume de Bourgogne d. Abt 1063, Comté de Provence, Royaume d'Arles (Age > 45 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
  Family ID	F26489	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	27 Jan 2026