Notes for Ebalus “The Bastard” Of Poitou Manzer , Duke Of Aquitaine & Count Of Poitou
Manzer, Ebalus the Bastard of Poitou, Count of Poitou
Acceded: 890
Died: 934
Notes:
Duke of Aquitaine.
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3Ebalus or
Ebles Manzer or
Manser (c. 870 – 935) was
Count of Poitou and
Duke of Aquitaine on two occasions: from 890 to 892 and from 902 (Poitou) and 927 (Aquitaine) to his death.
Ebles was an illegitimate son of
Ranulf II of Aquitaine. The meaning of his
surname is disputed. Manzer is a
Germanic habitational name, but also a Germanic personal name formed from magin, meaning "strength" or "might" (cf
magnus). The same surname was used by another Prince from
Occitania,
Arnaud Manzer, Count of
Angoulême (born 952-died 988/92), who also was a bastard. No other European Prince used the name Manzer. This fact makes the speculation about the Germanic origin of the Ebles' surname problematic.
Ebles succeeded his father Ranulf in 890, but was driven out in 892 by
Aymar, who was supported by
Eudes of France. Ebles gained the backing of
William the Pious,
Count of Auvergne, who placed Aquitaine under his own authority in 893.
In 902, Ebles launched the reconquest of his county with an army lent by his distant relative
William the Pious. He took Poitiers while Aymar was away and established control of the county. He was invested as count by
Charles III, with whom Ebles had been raised.
The comital title was the only one to which he ever had legitimate investiture. Ebles allotted the abbey of
Saint-Maixent to
Savary, Viscount of Thouars, who had been his constant supporter. He restructured Poitou by creating new
viscounties in
Aulnay and
Melle and dissolved the title and position of
Viscount of Poitou upon the death of its holder,
Maingaud, in 925.
In 904, he conquered the
Limousin. In 911, Ebles was in
Chartres with an army to oppose
Rollo, the
Viking leader.
In 927,
William the Younger, successor of William the Pious, and then his successor, his brother
Acfred, died in the space of one year. Acfred had made Ebles his heir; Ebles thus found himself Duke of Aquitaine,
Count of Berry,
Auvergne, and
Velay.
In 929,
King Rudolph started trying to reduce the power of Ebles. He withdrew from him access to Berry, then in 932 he transferred the titles of Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Auvergne to the
Count of Toulouse,
Raymond Pons. Moreover, the territory of
La Marche, which was under the control of the lord of
Charroux, vassal of Ebles, was transformed into an independent county.
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Marriage and issue
Ebalus married Emilienne and they had two sons:
▪ Ebalus, Bishop of Limoges ▪ William III of Aquitaine married
Gerloc, daughter of
Rollo of Normandy