William VII, Duke of Aquitaine

William VII, called the Eagle or the Bold, was duke of Aquitaine and count of Poitou between 1039 and his death, following his half-brother Odo.

War against his half-brother and failure to occupy Gascony

William was the third son of William V of Aquitaine, the eldest by his third wife, Agnes of Burgundy. He was brother-in-law of the Holy Roman Emperor Henry III, who married his sister Agnes. His mother remarried to Geoffrey Martel, Count of Anjou, during his reign. William won his patrimony in a war with his half-brother Odo, who was killed in battle at Mauzé. He did not, however, succeed in occupying Gascony.

War against his stepfather and death during a siege

Geoffrey Martel refused to concede to him the territories gained in the reigns of his predecessors. William set to work regaining his patrimony by force of arms. He was besieging Geoffrey in Saumur when he died of dysentery.

Marriage and supposed daughters

He was married to Ermesinde, of unknown origins. Two daughters have been hypothesized to be children of this couple:

Clementia, who married Conrad I of Luxembourg
Agnes, who married Peter I of Savoy.