William IX, Count of Poitiers

William (17 August 1153 – 1156) was the first son of King Henry II of England and Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine. He was born in Normandy on the same day that his father's rival, Eustace IV of Boulogne, died.
William is reported to have died either at the age of 2 in April 1156, or at the age of 3 on 2 December 1156, after suffering a seizure at Wallingford Castle. He was buried in Reading Abbey at the feet of his great-grandfather Henry I.
At the time of his death, William 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, who was born a year before William, later held that office, which may have been the cause of the confusion.
==Notes==
==References==
==Sources==
*
*
*
*
*
Category:1153 births
Category:1156 deaths
Category:12th-century English people
Category:Heirs to the English throne
Category:Heirs apparent who never acceded
William
Category:Burials at Reading Abbey
William
Category:Children of Henry II of England
Category:Monarchs who died as children
Category:Sons of kings