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- BIOGRAPHY
Guillaume III-V, called 'le Grand' ('the Great'), was born in 969, the son and successor of Guillaume II-IV 'Fier a bras' ('Iron Arm') and Emma de Blois, daughter of Thibaut I 'the Deceiver', comte de Blois et Chartres and Liutgarde de Vermandois. Guillaume was duke of Aquitaine and count of Poitou from 990 until his death. He seems to have taken after his formidable mother, who ruled Aquitaine as regent until 1004. He was a close to Bishop Fulbert of Chartres, who found in him another Maecenas, and he founded a cathedral school at Poitiers. He himself was very well educated, a collector of books, and turned the prosperous court of Aquitaine into the learning centre of Southern France.
Guillaume married three times. About 997 he married Almodis de Gevaudan, daughter of Boso II, comte de La Marche et Périgord. They had a son Guillaume who would succeed him as Guillaume IV-VI, but left no progeny.
Almodis died after 1005, and in 1011 Guillaume married Sancha de Gascogne, daughter of Guillermo I, duc de Gascogne and Urraca Garcés de Navarre. Guillaume and Sancha had two sons, Eudes (also known as Otto or Odo) and Thibaut, neither of whom would have progeny. Thibaut died young, and Eudes was killed in battle on 10 March 1039.
Sancha died before 1018. About that year Guillaume married Agnes de Bourgogne, daughter of Eudes Guillaume, comte de Bourgogne, comte de Mâcon and Ermentrud/Irmgard de Roucy. They had two sons and two daughters, all of whom would have progeny.
Though a cultivated prince, Guillaume was a failure in the field. He called on the aid of his suzerain Robert II, king of France in subduing his vassal, Boso de La Marche. They failed, but eventually Boso was chased from the duchy. Guillaume had to contain the Vikings who yearly threatened his coast, but in 1006 he was defeated by Viking invaders. He lost the Loudunais and Mirebalais to Foulques III 'Nerra', comte d'Anjou. He had to give up Confolens, Ruffec, and Chabanais to compensate Guillaume II of Angoulême, but Fulbert of Chartres negotiated a treaty (1020) outlining the reciprocal obligations of vassal and suzerain.
However, his court was a centre of artistic endeavour under his patronage. His piety and culture brought peace to his vast lands and he tried to stem the tide of feudal warfare then destroying the unity of many European nations by supporting the 'Peace and Truce of God' movement initiated by Pope and Church. He founded the abbeys of Maillezais (in 1010) and Bourgueil. He rebuilt the cathedral and many other religious structures in Poitiers after a fire. He travelled widely in Europe, annually visiting Rome or Spain as a pilgrim. Everywhere he was greeted with royal pomp. His court had an international flavour, receiving ambassadors from Holy Roman Emperor Heinrich II, Alfonso V, king of León, Knud 'den Store', king of England, Denmark and Norway, and even his suzerain, Robert II, king of France.
In 1024-1025 an embassy from Italy, sent by Olderich Manfred II, count of Susa, came to France seeking a king of their own. Emperor Heinrich II having died. The Italians asked for Robert's son Hugues, co-king of France, but Robert refused to allow his son to go and the Italians turned to Guillaume, whose character and court impressed many. He set out for Italy to consider the proposal, but the Italian political situation convinced him to renounce the crown for him and his heirs.
Guillaume's reign ended in peace and he died on 31 January 1030 at the abbey of Maillezais, which he had founded and where he is buried. His widow Agnes de Bourgogne, who married Geoffrey II Martel, comte d'Anjou, continued to exert great pressure on his successor Guillaume IV-VI.
The principal source of the reign of Guillaume III-V is the panegyric of Adhemar of Chabannes.
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