William I "the Pious", Duke of Aquitaine

• marquis de Gothie, comte d'Auvergne, de Berry, de Limousin, de Lyon et de Mâcon, puis duc d'Aquitaine et abbé laïque de Saint-Julien de Brioude

From Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_I,_Duke_of_Aquitaine

William I (22 March 875 – 6 July 918), called the Pious, was the Count of Auvergne from 886 and Duke of Aquitaine from 893, succeeding the Poitevin ruler Ebalus Manser. He made numerous monastic foundations, most important among them the foundation of Cluny Abbey on 11 September 910.

William was the son of Bernard II of Auvergne and Ermengard. Sometime before 898, he married the Bosonid Engelberga, daughter of Boso of Provence and Ermengard.

By inheritance, he was the ruler of Auvergne and the Limousin. He conquered Poitou and Aquitaine in 893 on behalf of Ebalus Manser. He kept the latter for himself and was proclaimed duke. His possessions extended from Austrasia to Toulouse and included the Autunois and Mâconnais.

In 910, William founded the Benedictine abbey of Cluny that would become an important political and religious centre. William required no control over the abbey, which he arranged should be responsible directly to the pope (see Clunian reforms). This was especially striking since most monasteries were owned privately and the appointment of abbots and officials was left to that family or individual. This led to the appointment of untrained, unordained abbots and officials. William also nominated Cluny's first abbot, Berno of Baume.

A sign of William's independence of rule in Aquitaine is that he had a deniers minted in his own name at Brioude.[1] He was buried in the monastery of Saint-Julien there. He had no sons of his own and was succeeded by a nephew, William the Younger, son of his sister Adelinda.

See also Dukes of Aquitaine family tree

ReferencesNotes

1.^ Rouche, p 428.

Sources

Nouvelle Biographie Générale. Paris, 1859.
Rouche, Michel. "Private life conquers state and society," in A History of Private Life, Vol. I, Paul Veyne, ed. Harvard University Press, 1987. ISBN 0 674 39974 9

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http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillaume_Ier_d'Aquitaine

Guillaume Ier d'Aquitaine

image: Guillaume le Pieux, d'après une lettrine enluminée (BNF, Ms. Lat. 17716, f°85.)

Guillaume Ier d'Aquitaine dit Le Pieux (né v. 22 mars 875 - mort le 6 juillet 918 à Lyon) fut marquis de Gothie, comte d'Auvergne, de Berry, de Limousin, de Lyon et de Mâcon, puis duc d'Aquitaine et abbé laïque de Saint-Julien de Brioude.

Guillaume était le fils de Bernard Plantevelue, comte d'Auvergne et d'Ermengarde d'Auvergne.

Il était maître de l’Auvergne et du Limousin par son père, et duc d'Aquitaine. Ses biens s’étendaient de la Bourgogne au Toulousain en passant par l’Autunois, le Mâconnais, le Lyonnais, le Berry, l’Auvergne, le Velay, le Gévaudan, la Gothie (actuel Languedoc).

Avant 898, il épousa Engelberge ou Ingelberge, fille du roi de Bourgogne-Provence Boson de Vienne et d'Ermengarde, elle-même fille unique de l'empereur Louis II le Jeune.

Il fonda l'abbaye de Cluny en 909, le 11 septembre, et y nomma Bernon de Baume comme abbé. Il reçut Odon de Cluny pour son apprentissage de la chevalerie à 13 ans1 en sa cour.

Il mourut le 6 juillet 918 et fut inhumé à l'abbaye de Brioude près des tombes du martyr saint Julien et de l'empereur Avitus.

Lui succèderont brièvement comme ducs d'Aquitaine, ses deux neveux, fils de sa sœur Adélinda d'Aquitaine et d'Acfred de Carcassonne : Guillaume II le Jeune (918-926) et Acfred (926-927). Ils ne laissent pas d'héritiers, et après eux, pendant plusieurs années, a lieu une véritable « guerre de succession » au duché d'Aquitaine, entre la Maison de Poitiers et celle de Toulouse.

Notes et références

↑ J.-Henri Pignot - Histoire de l'Ordre de Cluny depuis la fondation de l'abbaye jusqu'à la mort de Pierre le Vénérable - Tome 1 - Paris/Autun - 1868, page 57

• http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/AQUITAINE.htm#GuillaumeIAquitainedi...

1. GUILLAUME ([860/65]-6 Jul 918, bur Abbaye de Brioude, Haute-Loire). "Karolus…imperator Augustus" confirms that "Willelmo comite" replaced "patris sui Bernardi comitis" after the latter was killed, by charter dated 16 Aug 886[146]. His birth date is estimated on the assumption that he was a young adult at the time. He is named as brother of "Hava abbatissa" in the latter's charter dated Nov 893[147]. "Acfred dux Aquitanorum" donated property "pro anima…et avunculis meis Wilelmo et Guarino…" to Cluny by charter dated 2 Oct 927[148]. He succeeded his father in 886 as Marquis of Gothia, Comte d'Auvergne, de Berry, de Mâcon, de Limousin, et de Lyon. The Chronicle of Saint-Maxence names "Ramnulfus comes…Pictavensis" as "consanguineus…Willelmi…comitis Arvernorum"[149], although the precise relationship has not been traced. Comte de Bourges 892. Comte de Macon, abbé laic de Brioude 893. He was recorded as dux shortly after the accession of Charles III "le Simple" King of the West Franks in 893, and as dux Aquitanorum for the first time in 909[150], later known as GUILLAUME I "le Pieux" Duke of Aquitaine. “Willelmus comes marchio atque dux” donated property to Brioude Saint-Julien, providing for “post obitum meum neque uxor mea, neque filii nostri, neque filiæ, si habuerimus”, by charter dated May 898, subscribed by “Willelmi, Ingelbergæ”[151]. “Guillelmus...comes et dux...et uxor mea Ingelberga” founded the monastery of Cluny, for “Avanæ” who bequeathed the property to him (“que michi easdem res testamentatio jure concessit”), by charter dated 11 Sep 910[152]. "Princeps et marchio Willelmus" donated property "in patria Arvernica, in comitatu Brivatense…in villa Carisiaceco" to the church of Holy Trinity "pro…animæ patris mei Bernardi et matris meæ Ermengardis…et sororis meæ Adalendis et filorum eius" by charter dated Nov 916, signed by "Ingelbergæ, Wilhelmi, Acfredi, Bosoni…"[153]. The Annales Masciacenses record in 919 the deaths of “Guilelmus famosus dux Aquitanorum...coniunx eius Ingelberga”[154].

m (before May 898) ENGELBERGA, daughter of BOSON King [of Provence] & his second wife Ermengardis [Carolingian] ([877]-919). “Willelmus comes marchio atque dux” donated property to Brioude Saint-Julien, providing for “post obitum meum neque uxor mea, neque filii nostri, neque filiæ, si habuerimus”, by charter dated May 898, subscribed by “Willelmi, Ingelbergæ”[155]. Engelberga is named as co-founder with her husband of the monastery of Cluny in a charter dated 11 Sep 910[156]. Her origin is deduced from her donation to Cluny with her husband dated Jan 917, in which her brother "Ludovico" is named[157]. The Annales Masciacenses record in 919 the deaths of “Guilelmus famosus dux Aquitanorum...coniunx eius Ingelberga”[158]. She died as a nun at San Sisto, Piacenza.

Duke Guillaume I & his wife had [two] children [the May 898 charter quoted above indicates that Guillaume had no daughters at the time, maybe no sons either although the text is unclear on that point (“neque uxor mea, neque filii nostri, neque filiæ, si habuerimus”)]:

*a) BOSO (-[25 Dec 920/Jun 926]). "Boso filius eius" is named, immediately after "Wilelmi senioris mei", in two donation for their souls made by "Gauzfredus comes" dated 8 Apr 936 and Jun 936[159].

• b) [daughter. This is a speculative connection based only on onomastics[160]. m ROTBALD [I] d'Agel [Provence], son of --- (-[949]).]