William VII of Aquitaine
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William VII (born Peter, Pierre-Guillaume) (1023 – Autumn 1058), called the Eagle (Aigret) or the Bold (le Hardi), was the duke of Aquitaine and count of Poitou (as William V) between 1039 and his death, following his half-brother Otto.
William was the third son of William V of Aquitaine by his third wife, Agnes of Burgundy. He was brother-in-law of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry III, who married his sister Agnes. His mother remarried to Geoffrey Martel, Count of Anjou, during his reign.
Geoffrey Martel refused to concede to him the territories gained in the reigns of his predecessors. William set to work regaining his patrimony by force of arms. He was besieging Geoffrey in Saumur when he died of dysentery.
He was married to Ermesinde, of unknown origins, and had two daughters: Clementia, who married Conrad I of Luxemburg, and Stephanie. It is often erroneously stated that Ermesinde was a daughter of Adalbert, Duke of Lorraine. This hypothesis, resulting from the misinterpretation of two medieval documents, has since been retracted by the scholar who originally suggested it [1].
[edit] Sources
- Nouvelle Biographie Générale. Paris, 1859.
[edit] See also
| Preceded by Otto |
Duke of Aquitaine 1039 – 1058 |
Succeeded by William VIII |
| Count of Poitiers 1039 – 1058 |
