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William X Of Aquitaine




William was born in ; and Petronilla Of Aquitaine , who married Raoul I Of Vermandois . Both Ænor and William Aigret died in 1130.

As his father before him, William X was a patron of Troubador s, Music and Literature . He was an educated man and strived to give his two daughters an excellent education, in a time when Europe 's rulers were hardly literate. When Eleanor succeeded him as Duchess, she continued William's tradition and transformed the Aquitanian court into Europe's centre of knowledge.

Despite his love of the arts, William was not a peaceful man, and was frequently involved in conflicts with neighbouring Normandy (which he raided in 1136 ) and France . Even inside his borders, William faced an alliance of the Lusignans and the Parthenays against him, an issue resolved with total destruction of the enemies. In international politics, William X initially supported Antipope Anacletus II in the Schism of 1130 , opposite to Pope Innocent II , against the will of his own bishops. In 1134 Saint Bernard Of Clairvaux convinced William to drop his support to Anacletus and join Innocent.

In 1137 William joined the Pilgrimage to Santiago De Compostela , but died of Food Poisoning during the trip. On his deathbed, he expressed his wish to see king Louis VII Of France as protector of his fifteen year old daughter Eleanor. Louis VII accepted this wish and married the heiress of Aquitaine.

See also: Dukes Of Aquitaine Family Tree


SOURCES

  • Parsons, John Carmi. ''Eleanor of Aquitaine: Lord and Lady'', 2002