Name William Count | ||
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Reign 17 August 1153 – April 1156 Siblings Richard I of England, Matilda of England, Duchess of Saxony, Marie of France, Countess of Champagne Cousins Elizabeth of Vermandois Grandparents Empress Matilda, Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, William X, Duke of Aquitaine, Aenor de Chatellerault Similar People Henry II of England, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard I of England, Joan of England - Queen of, Geoffrey II - Duke of Brittany | ||
William (17 August 1153 – April 1156) was the first son of Henry II, King of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He was born in Normandy on the same day that his father's rival, Eustace IV of Boulogne, died.
He died in April 1156, aged three. This was due to a seizure at Wallingford Castle, and he was buried in Reading Abbey at the feet of his great-grandfather Henry I.
At the time of his death, he was reigning as Count of Poitiers, as his mother had ceded the county to him. For centuries, the dukes of Aquitaine had held this as one of their minor titles, so it had passed to Eleanor from her father; giving it to her son was effectively a revival of the title, separating it from the duchy. Some authorities say he also held the title of "Archbishop of York", but this is probably an error. His half-brother Geoffrey (died 1212), who was born a year before William, did later hold that office, causing the confusion.