| William I | |
|---|---|
| Duke of Aquitaine | |
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| Born | 22 March 875 |
| Died | 6 July 918(918-07-06) (aged 43) |
| Father | Bernard Plantapilosa |
William I (22 March 875 – 6 July 918), calledthe Pious, was theCount of Auvergne from 886 andDuke of Aquitaine from 893, succeeding thePoitevin rulerEbalus Manser. He made numerous monastic foundations, most important among them the foundation ofCluny Abbey on 11 September 910.
William was son ofBernard Plantapilosa and Ermengard. Sometime before 898, William married theBosonidAngilberga, daughter ofBoso of Provence andErmengard of Italy.[1]
By inheritance, William was the ruler ofAuvergne and theLimousin. 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 fromAustrasia toToulouse and included theAutunois andMâconnais.
In 909, William founded theBenedictine abbey of Cluny that would become an important political and religious centre.[2] William required no control over the abbey, which he arranged should be responsible directly to thepope (seeClunian reforms). This was especially striking since most monasteries were privately owned and the appointment of abbots and officials was left to that family or individual, leading to the appointment of untrained and 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 adeniers minted in his own name atBrioude.[3] He was buried in the monastery of Saint-Julien. William had no sons of his own[clarification needed] and was succeeded by a nephew,William the Younger, son of his sister Adelinda byAcfred I of Carcassonne.
William marriedEngelberga, daughter ofBoso of Provence andErmengard they had:
| Preceded by | Duke of Aquitaine after 893–918 | Succeeded by |
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