- Ramnulfids
The Ramnulfids, or the House of Poitiers, were a French dynasty ruling the
County of Poitou andDuchy of Aquitaine in the ninth through twelfth centuries. Their power base wasPoitou . In the early tenth century, they contested the dominance of northern Aquitaine and the ducal title to the whole with theHouse of Auvergne . In1032 , they inherited theDuchy of Gascony and thus uniting it with Aquitaine. By the end of the eleventh century they were the dominant power in the southwestern third of France. The founder of the family was Ramnulf I, who became count in835 .Ramnulf's son, Ramnulf II, claimed the title of King of Aquitaine in
888 , but it did not survive him. Through his illegitimate son Ebalus he fathered the line ofdukes of Aquitaine that would rule continuously from927 to1204 , from the succession of William III to the death of Eleanor, who brought the Ramnulfid inheritance first toLouis VII of France and then toHenry II of England .Several daughters of this house achieved high status. Adelaide married
Hugh Capet and was thus the first Queen of France in the era of the Direct Capetians. Agnes marriedHenry III, Holy Roman Emperor , and ruled as regent for her son, the young Henry IV. The most illustrious woman was certainly Eleanor, of course, who by her marriage crafted theAngevin Empire which was to cause so much discord between France and England.The Ramnulfid house did much to encourage art, literature, and piety. Under William V, William IX, and William X, Aquitaine became the centre for the art of poetry and song in the vernacular; the
troubadour tradition was born and raised there. ThePeace and Truce of God were fostered and the ideal ofcourtly love invented.ee also
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Dukes of Aquitaine family tree
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