William IV, known as Fier-a-bras or ‘proud arm’, waged many wars across France. He was the Duke of Aquitaine from 963 until he retired to a monastery in 990.

He is my 26 x great-grandfather.

William was born, probably in Poitiers, France, sometime in 937, son of William III and Adele or Gerloc, the daughter of Rollo of Normandy¹.

Titles

William became the fourth Duke of Aquitaine in 963, and the Count of Poitou¹.

He was also the lay abbot of the Saint-Hilaire-de-Poitou¹.

Family

In 968, he married Emma of Blois¹. Their marriage was stormy because he was the philandering sort¹. They separated twice and he finally abandoned her to retire to the abbey of Saint-Cyprien-de-Poitiers in 993¹.

He left Emma to rule as regent until their eldest son William was of age¹.

Notable events

He frequently fought against the counts of Anjou in the north for control of territory in France.

William’s reign as Count of Poitou saw a vast change in French life. It was at this time that castles became a common staple and this affected the political structure of life in France. Previously, warring counts had fought in battle. Now, a castle could be defended which meant it was harder to conquer or take lands. This technique simplified a realm’s defence, but complicated internal management².

In 989 he founded a hospital near Saint-Hilaire-de-Poitiers by charter¹.

Before dying he decided to renounce his life and become a monk¹.

Death

He died between the end of 995 and early 996¹ in the Abbey of Saint-Maxient¹.

It is not known where he died, or what caused his death. We do know he is buried in the Abbey¹.

Lineage

He is my 26 x great-grandfather.

1. Aquitaine, Dukes; Charles Cawley; Medieval Lands; (Retrieved 2019-10-08) [↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
2. Castellans of the Plain of Poitou in the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries; Sidney Painter; Speculum Vol 31, No 2; 1956-04; USA[↩]