Individual

Go to List of Family Names Go to List of People    < Previous Next >

Birth:          ABT  915 of Poitiers, Vienne, France
Death:          3 Apr  963 

Notes
died as a monk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_III,_Duke_of_Aquitaine
William III (915 – 3 April 963), called Towhead (French: Tête d'étoupe, Latin: Caput 
Stupe) from the colour of his hair, was the "Count of the Duchy of Aquitaine" from 959 
and Duke of Aquitaine from 962 to his death. He was also the Count of Poitou (as 
William I) from 935 and Count of Auvergne from 950. The primary sources for his reign 
are Ademar of Chabannes, Dudo of Saint-Quentin, and William of Jumièges.

William was son of Ebalus Manzer and Emilienne. He was born in Poitiers. He claimed 
the Duchy of Aquitaine from his father's death, but the royal chancery did not 
recognise his ducal title until the year before his own death.

Shortly after the death of King Rudolph in 936, he was constrained to forfeit some 
land to Hugh the Great by Louis IV. He did it with grace, but his relationship with 
Hugh thenceforward deteriorated. In 950, Hugh was reconciled with Louis and granted 
the duchies of Burgundy and Aquitaine. He tried to conquer Aquitaine with Louis's 
assistance, but William defeated them. Lothair, Louis's successor, feared the power of 
William. In August 955 he joined Hugh to besiege Poitiers, which resisted 
successfully. William, however, gave battle and was routed.

After the death of Hugh, his son Hugh Capet was named duke of Aquitaine, but he 
never tried to take up his fief, as William reconciled with Lothair.

He was given the abbey of Saint-Hilaire-le-Grand, which remained in his house after 
his death. He also built a library in the palace of Poitiers.

Family background, marriage and issue[edit]

His father was duke Ebles Manzer, who already was a man in his middle years when 
he was born in about 913. According to the chronicle of Ademar de Chabannes, 
William's mother was Geirlaug (French Gerloc), a daughter of Rollo of Normandy. (The 
less reliable Dodo has William rather than Ebles marrying Gerloc.)

William III married a lady named Adèle, perhaps about 936, in a match that may have 
been arranged by William I of Normandy. With Adèle, he had at least one child whose 
filiation is clearly attested:
William, his successor in Aquitaine. He abdicated to the abbey of Saint-Cyprien in 
Poitiers and left the government to his son.

Many genealogies accept the high likelihood that they also had a daughter:
Adelaide, who married Hugh Capet

But her parentage is not reliably documented of their era and is regarded only as a 
good possibility by usual modern genealogical literature.

Parents
DE POITIERS Ebles II (Ebalus Manzer) ( 890 -  934)
____ Elgiva (Emiliane) (Emilienne) (ABT  895 - )

Siblings
____ William (Guillaume) III (I) "Tete d'Etoupe" (ABT  915 - 3 Apr  963)

Marriage To OF NORMANDY Adele (Gerloc) (ABT  920 - 14 Oct  962)
    m.  935 

Notes

Parents
RAGNVALDSSON Rolf (Rollo) (Rollon) (Granger Rolf) "the Viking" (ABT  865 -  925)
DE BAYEUX (OF RENNES) Poppa ( 872 - BEF  930)

Children by OF NORMANDY Adele (Gerloc) ABT  920 - 14 Oct  962
____ William (Guillaume) IV (II) "Fier-a-bras" (ABT  937 - 3 Feb  994)
OF AQUITAINE Adelaide (ABT  945 - ABT 1004)

Produced by Fzip 1.7 6/20/2017