William IV (937 – 3 February 994^[1]), called Fierebras or Fierebrace (meaning "Iron Arm", from the French Fier-à-bras or Fièrebrace, in turn from the Latin Ferox brachium), was the Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Poitou from 963 to his retirement in 990. Events Athelstan wins the Battle of Brunanburh September 21 - Magdeburg is now the capital of the Holy Roman Empire, after a Diet held by Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor Births Duke William IV of Aquitaine (d. ... February 3 is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events Otto III reaches his majority and begins to rule Germany in his own right. ... Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... The persons who held the title of Duke of Aquitaine (French: Duc dAquitaine}, which became part of France in 1449 but was an independent duchy before that date, with the years they held it, were: // Kings and Dukes of Aquitaine Edward III claimed the title of King of France... Among the men who have borne the title of Count of Poitiers (or Poitou, in what is now France but in the Middle Ages became part of the Aquitaine) are: Guerin (or Warin[us]) (638-677) Renaud (795-843) Bernard I (815-844) Ranulph I (835-875) Ranulph II (855... Events Holy Roman Emperor Otto I defeats Mieszko I of Poland, compels him to pay tribute Luxembourg is founded, and the Belgium area becomes part of the United Provinces of the Netherlands. ... Events Construction of the Al-Hakim Mosque begins in Cairo. ...

William's father, William III, abdicated to the abbey of Saint-Cyprien in Poitiers and left the government to Fierebras. His mother was Gerloc, the daughter of Duke Rollo of Normandy. His sister was Adelaide, wife of Hugh Capet, the king against whom William later battled for his duchy. His early reign was characterised by many wars. He fought frequently against the counts of Anjou, the first time against Geoffrey Greymantle, who had taken Loudun. William III of Aquitaine (915 – April 3, 963), nicknamed Tête dÉtoupe (Towhead) was William II of Poitou Count of Poitiers and Duke of Aquitaine from 935 to his death. ... Saint-Cyprien is the name or part of the name of several places. ... Location within France Poitiers (population 85,000) is a small city located in west central France. ... Gerloc (or Geirlaug), baptised in Rouen as Adela (or Adèle) in 912, was the daughter of Rollo, first duke of Normandy, and his wife, Poppa of Bayeux. ... Rollo on the Six Dukes statue in the Falaise town square. ... Adele or Adelaide of Aquitaine (or Adelaide of Poitiers) (c. ... -1... Counts of Anjou, c. ... Geoffrey I of Anjou, known as Grisegonelle (Greymantle), was count of Anjou from 958 to 987. ... Loudun is a small town and commune of approximately 9,000 inhabitants in the Vienne département of France. ...

In 988, he went to war with the newly-elected king of France, Hugh Capet, whom he refused to recognise. Capet had been granted Aquitaine by King Lothair before the latter had been reconciled to William's father. Capet renewed his claim on the great duchy and invaded it that year. A royal army was defeated on the plain of the Loire Valley. William sheltered the young Louis, the son of Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine, the last legitimate Carolingian heir. He opened the palace of Poitiers to him and treated him as royalty, regarding him as the true heir to the French throne. Events Vladimir I, Prince of Kiev marries Anna, sister of Byzantine emperor Basil II and converts to Christianity. ... Kings ruled in France from the Middle Ages to 1848. ... Lothair (941-986), king of France, son of Louis IV and Gerberge of Saxony, succeeded his father in 954, and was at first under the guardianship of Hugh the Great, duke of the Franks, and then under that of his maternal uncle Bruno, archbishop of Cologne. ... Loire Valley (French: Vallée de la Loire) is known as the Garden of France and the Cradle of the French Language. ... Louis (circa 980 – after 993) was the second of Charles of Lorraines three sons and the eldest by his second marriage to Adelaide, the daughter of a low-ranking vassal of Hugh Capet. ... Charles of Lorraine (953-993) was the son of King Louis IV of France and Gerberga. ... Also see: France in the Middle Ages. ... Palace of justice in Poitiers. ... Kings ruled in France from the Middle Ages to 1848. ...

In 968, he married Emma or Emmeline, daughter of Theobald I of Blois and Luitgarde of Vermandois. Their marriage was stormy, in part because of William's indulgence in the pursuit of women and, a hunting aficionado, wild animals. She banished his paramours, they separated twice for long periods, and finally he retired to a monastery, as his father had done, leaving Emma to rule Aquitaine in the name of their son William until 1004. Their second son, Ebles, died sometime after 997. Events Births Emperor Kazan of Japan Ethelred II of England Romanus Argyrus, later Romanus III of the Eastern Roman Empire. ... Theobald I (died 16 January between 975 and 978), called the Cheater, was the first count of Blois, Chartres, and Châteaudun from 960, and Tours from 945. ... Luitgarde of Vermandois (circa 914-February 9, 978) was a daughter of Herbert II of Vermandois and thus a sixth generation descendant of Charlemagne. ... William V of Aquitaine (969-January 30, 1030), nicknamed the Great, was Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Poitiers as William II of Poitiers. ... Events December: End of the Samanid dynasty in Bokhara. ... Events City of Gdansk is founded Saint Adalbert of Prague is sent to Prussia by Boleslaus I of Poland Samuil of Bulgaria crowned Tsar by Pope Gregory V The town of Trondheim is founded. ...

Notes

1. ^ Nouvelle Biographie Générale. The date of 5 February 995 probably comes sfrom Owen.

February 5 is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events (Erik Segersäll) is succeeded by (Olof Skötkonung), the first baptized ruler of Sweden. ...

Sources

• Owen, D. D. R. Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen and Legend. 1993.
• Nouvelle Biographie Générale. Paris, 1859.

See also

• Dukes of Aquitaine family tree