William de Provence I the Liberator

• Preferred Name: William de Provence I the Liberator^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]}
  
• Gender: M
  
• FSID: L133-HLP
  
• Death: AFT 29 AUG 993 in Avignon, Loir-et-Cher, Centre-Val de Loire, France at LATI: N7.5133 LONG: E0.8175
  
• Birth: ABT 947 in France
  
• http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: with note: Description: Count of Provence
  
• Burial: 994 in Sarrians, Vaucluse, Provence, France at LATI: N4.0836 LONG: E0.9713
  
• http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: Comte d'Arles , d'Avignon, d'Orange et de Valence, Comte de Provence
  
• http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: Count Provence
  
• Notes:

  === Life Sketch ===
  William I (c. 950 - after 29 August 993), called the Liberator, was Count of Provence from 968 to his abdication. In 975 or 979, he took the title of marchio or margrave. He is often considered the founder of the county of Provence. He and his elder brother Rotbold I were sons of Boso II of Arles and his wife Constance, who, based on her name, has been speculated to be daughter of Charles Constantine of Vienne. They both carried the title of comes or count concurrently, but it is unknown if they were joint-counts of the whole of Provence or if the region was divided. His brother never bore any other title than count so long as William lived, so the latter seems to have attained a certain supremacy.
  
  In 980, he was installed as Count of Arles. His sobriquet comes from his victories against the Saracens by which he liberated Provence from their threat, which had been constant since the establishment of a base at Fraxinet. At the Battle of Tourtour in 973, with the assistance of the counts of the High Alps and the viscounts of Marseille and Fos, he definitively routed the Saracens, chasing them forever from Provence. He reorganised the region east of the Rhône, which he conquered from the Saracens and which had been given him as a gift from King Conrad of Burgundy. Also by royal consent, he and his descendants controlled the fisc in Provence. With Isarn, Bishop of Grenoble, he repopulated Dauphiné and settled an Italian count named Ugo Blavia near Fréjus in 970 in order to bring that land back to cultivation. For all this, he figures prominently in Ralph Glaber's chronicle with the title of dux and he appears in a charter of 992 as pater patriae.
  
  He donated land to Cluny and retired to become a monk, dying at Avignon, where he was buried in the church of Saint-Croix at Sarrians. He was succeeded as margrave by his brother. His great principality began to diminish soon after his death as the castles of his vassals, which he had kept carefully under ducal control, soon became allods of their possessors.
  
  He may also be the brother of Eremburge De Pont Audemer (born De Bricquebec Bertrand) who married Torf De Pont Audemer. Eremburge and Torf are the 18th great grandparents of Thomas Newberry the immigrant ancestor of the American family. Thomas Newberry was the fourth great grandfather of Walter Loomis Newberry, the founder of the Newberry Library in Chicago, IL Walter Loomis Newberry was the 4th great grandson of Joseph Loomis, the immigrant ancestor of the Loomis family in America.
  
  «b»Marriage and issue«/b»
  He married 1st Arsenda, daughter of Arnold of Comminges and their son was:
  
  1.) William II (or III) of Provence.
  
  He married 2nd (against papal advice) in 984, Adelaide-Blanche of Anjou, daughter of Fulk II of Anjou and Gerberga, and their daughter was:
  
  Constance of Arles (986 - 1034), married Robert II of France.

• m. 984 in Anjou, France

1. Constance d'Arles, b. BET 27 MAR 974 AND 986 in Arles, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France     d. 25 JUL 1032 in Melun, Seine-et-Marne, Région Parisienne, France

1. William de Provence II, b. ABT 977     d. AFT 11 JUN 1018 in Arles, Provence, France

1. Title: Web: Netherlands, GenealogieOnline Trees Index, 1000-2015
   Publication: Name: http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=9289&h=6823284&indiv=try;
   
2. Title: William I of Provence, "Find A Grave Index"
   Author: "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV23-G668 : 6 March 2021), William I of Provence, ; Burial, Sarrians, Departement du Vaucluse, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France, Church Of Saint Croix; citing record ID 61543673, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
   Publication: Name: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV23-G668;
   
3. Title: Guillaume II, Comte de Provence, in the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy ~http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/PROVENCE.htm#GuillaumeIIArlesProvencedied993 [See document in the Memories section]
   Publication: Name: http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/PROVENCE.htm#GuillaumeIIArlesProvencedied993;
   
4. Title: Wikipedia: The Counts of Provence from 9th-13th centuries
   Publication: Name: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provence#The_Counts_of_Provence_(9th–13th_centuries);
   Note: (Excerpt) The Counts of Provence (9th–13th centuries) The Catalan Ramon Berenguer I, Count of Provence, in the Castle in Fos, painted by Marià Fortuny (Reial Acadèmia Catalana de Belles Arts de Sant Jordi, on deposit at the Palace of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Barcelona). Three different dynasties of Counts ruled Provence during the Middle Ages, and Provence became a prize in the complex rivalries between the Catalan rulers of Barcelona, the Kings of Burgundy, the German rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, and the Angevin Kings of France.[clarification needed] The Coat of Arms of Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona and his descendants, who as Counts of Provence ruled Provence from 1112 until 1246 Coat of Arms of the Counts of Provence of the House of Valois-Anjou, who ruled Provence from 1246 until it became part of France in 1486 The Bosonids (879–1112) were the descendants of the first King of Provence, Boson. His son, Louis the Blind (890–928) lost his sight trying to win the throne of Italy, after which his cousin, Hugh of Italy (died 947) became the Duke of Provence and the Count of Vienne. Hugh moved the capital of Provence from Vienne to Arles and made Provence a fief of Rudolph II of Burgundy. In the 9th century, Arab pirates (called Saracens by the French) and then the Normans invaded Provence. The Normans pillaged the region and then left, but the Saracens built castles and began raiding towns and holding local residents for ransom. Early in 973, the Saracens captured Maieul, the abbot of the monastery at Cluny, and held him for ransom. The ransom was paid and the abbot was released, but the people of Provence, led by Count William I rose up and defeated the Saracens near their most powerful fortress Fraxinet (La Garde-Freinet) at the Battle of Tourtour. The Saracens who were not killed in the battle were baptised and enslaved, and the remaining Saracens in Provence fled the region. Meanwhile, dynastic quarrels continued. A war between Rudolph III of Burgundy and his rival, German Emperor Conrad the Salic in 1032 led to Provence becoming a fiefdom of the Holy Roman Empire, which it remained until 1246. In 1112, the last descendant of Boson, Douce I, Countess of Provence, married the Catalan Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona, who as a result became Raymond Berenguer I, Count of Provence. He ruled Provence from 1112 until 1131, and his descendants, the Catalan counts, ruled in Provence until 1246. In 1125, Provence was divided; the part of Provence north and west of the Durance river went to the Count of Toulouse, while the lands between the Durance and the Mediterranean, and from the Rhône river to the Alps, belonged to the Counts of Provence. The capital of Provence was moved from Arles to Aix-en-Provence, and later to Brignoles.[21] Under the Catalan counts, the 12th century saw the construction of important cathedrals and abbeys in Provence, in a harmonious new style, the Romanesque, which united the Gallo-Roman style of the Rhône Valley with the Lombard style of the Alps. Aix Cathedral was built on the site of the old Roman forum, and then rebuilt in the Gothic style in the 13th and 14th centuries. The Church of St. Trophime in Arles was a landmark of Romanesque architecture, built between the 12th and the 15th centuries. A vast fortress-like monastery, Montmajour Abbey, was built on an island just north of Arles and became a major destination for medieval pilgrims. In the 12th century, three Cistercian monasteries were built in remote parts of Provence, far from the political intrigues of the cities. Sénanque Abbey was the first, established in the Luberon between 1148 and 1178. Thoronet Abbey was founded in a remote valley near Draguignan in 1160. Silvacane Abbey, on the Durance river at La Roque-d'Anthéron, was founded in 1175. In the 13th century, the French kings started to use marriage to extend their influence into the south of France. One son of King Louis VIII "the Lion", Alphonse, Count of Poitou, married the heiress of the Count of Toulouse, Joan. Another, Louis IX "the Saint" of France or Saint Louis (1214–1270), married Marguerite of Provence. Then, in 1246, Charles, Count of Anjou, the youngest son of Louis VIII, married the heiress of Provence, Beatrice. Provence's fortunes became tied to the Angevin Dynasty and the Kingdom of Naples.[22]
   
5. Title: Foundation for Medieval Genealogy
   Publication: Name: http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/PROVENCE.htm#BosonIIArlesdied965B;
   Note: GUILLAUME [II] “le Libérateur”, son of BOSON Comte [d´Arles] & his wife Constantia --- ([955]-Avignon 993 after 29 Aug, bur Sarrians, église de Sainte-Croix). "Boso comes et uxor sua Constantia…illorum filii…Willelmus comes, Rotbaldus comes, Pontius juvenis" signed the charter dated May [963] under which "Gencius et uxor mea Aiburga" donated property "in pago Aquense superiore ad castrum…Ansoyse" to Monmajour[209]. The order of birth of the two older sons of Boson is unclear. The May [963] charter suggests that Guillaume was his older son. However, the name order is reversed inthe charter dated Mar 965 under which "eius filio Rothboldo et fratre eius Wilelmo comite" consented to the charter of "Bosoni comitis, filii Rothboldi quondam"[210], which suggests that Rotbald was older. Comte de Provence, charters showing that both he and his brother Rotbald were recorded as counts during the same period, although it is not known whether this was a joint countship or whether there was a geographical split between their jurisdictions. Marquis de Provence. "Vuilelmus marchius Arelatense Provintie" donated property "in comitatu Avinionense, in agro Rupiano, in loco…la Lona" to Saint-Victor, Marseille by charter dated 17 Apr 979, signed by "Arsinda comitissa"[211]. "Willelmus comes" donated property to Cluny by charter dated 28 Aug [990] signed by "Rodbaldus comes, Adalaix comitissa, Wilelmus comes et filius eius Wilelmus"[212]. "Dominus princeps et marchio istius provinciæ…Willelmus cum coniuge sua…Adelaix et filio suo…Willelmo" restored property to the abbey of Saint-Césaire d´Arles by charter dated 992, subscribed by "Domnus Rotbaldus comes…Willelmus comes filius Rotbaldi et uxor sua Lucia, Wilelmus comes Tolosanus et uxor sua Ema…"[213]. He became a monk. m firstly (before Apr 970) ARSINDE, daughter of --- (-after 17 Apr 979). "Wilelmus comes Provincie et coniunx mea Arsinna" donated property to Saint-Victor de Marseille by charter dated Apr 970[214]. "Vuilelmus marchius Arelatense Provintie" donated property "in comitatu Avinionense, in agro Rupiano, in loco…la Lona" to Saint-Victor, Marseille by charter dated 17 Apr 979, signed by "Arsinda comitissa"[215]. Szabolcs de Vajay suggests that the first wife of Guillaume was the sister of Adelais, whose first testament dated 4 Oct 978 names her, basing the hypothesis on onomastics and favorable chronology[216]. Under this testament of "Adelais", she donated her foundation "Narbonam…sanctique Salvatoris" to "sororibus meis et domnæ Arsindæ comitissæ", bequeathed "mea hereditas de Vidiliano" to "Arsindi sorori meæ", "alodes de Tolomiano" to "Ermesindi", and "mea hereditas de Artimiciano" to "Garsindi"[217]. The wording suggests that "Arsindi…Ermesindi…Garsindi" were all sisters of the testator. It is probable that "domnæ Arsindæ comitissæ" in this document was the wife of Guillaume [II] Comte de Provence as no other Ctss Arsende has been identified at the time. However, the wording of the passage in which she is named suggests that she was a different person from "Arsindi sorori meæ". Szabolcs de Vajay suggests (as reported by Settipani: the Szabolcs article has not yet been consulted) that the testator was the possible daughter of Arnaud [I] Comte de Comminges. She can be identified as Adelais, widow of Matfried Vicomte de Narbonne, as the document names the couple´s two sons whose affiliation is confirmed by other primary sources. As explained more fully in the document TOULOUSE, KINGS, DUKES & COUNTS, other primary source documentation suggests that the wife of Vicomte Matfried may have been the daughter of Raymond Pons Comte de Toulouse. If this is correct, the chronology suggests that her sister would have been too old to have married Guillaume [II] Comte de Provence. m secondly ([984/86]) as her fourth husband, ADELAIS [Blanche] d'Anjou, widow firstly of ETIENNE de Brioude, secondly of RAYMOND IV Comte de Toulouse, divorced wife (thirdly) of LOUIS V King of the West Franks, daughter of FOULQUES II "le Bon" Comte d’Anjou & his first wife Gerberge --- ([945/50]-1026, bur Montmajour, near Arles). Her parentage and first marriage are confirmed by the Chronicle of Saint-Pierre du Puy which names "comes Gaufridus cognomento Grisogonella…Pontius et Bertrandus eius nepotes…matre eorum Adalaide sorore ipsius"[218], the brothers Pons and Bertrand being confirmed in other sources as the sons of Etienne de Brioude, for example the charter dated 1000 under which "duo germani fratres…Pontius, alter Bertrandus" donated property to Saint-Chaffre for the souls of "patris sui Stephani matrisque nomine Alaicis"[219]. Adelais's second and third marriages are confirmed by Richer who records the marriage of Louis and "Adelaidem, Ragemundi nuper defuncti ducis Gothorum uxorem" and their coronation as king and queen of Aquitaine[220]. The Chronicon Andegavensi names "Blanchiam filiam Fulconis Boni comitis Andegavensis" as wife of the successor of "Lotharius rex Francorum", but confuses matters by stating that the couple were parents of "filiam Constantiam" wife of Robert II King of France[221]. The Chronicle of Saint-Maxence names "Blanchiam" as the wife of "Lotharius rex…Ludovicum filium" but does not give her origin[222]. She was crowned Queen of Aquitaine with her third husband on the day of their marriage. The Libro de Otiis Imperialibus names "Blanchiam" as wife of "Ludovicus puer [filius Lotharii]"[223]. Rodulfus Glaber refers to the unnamed wife of "Ludowicum" as "ab Aquitanis partibus uxorem", recounting that she tricked him into travelling to Aquitaine where "she left him and attached herself to her own family"[224]. Richer records her marriage with "Wilelmum Arelatensem" after her divorce from Louis[225]. Her fourth marriage is confirmed by the Historia Francorum which names "Blanca sorore Gaufridi comitis Andegavensis" as wife of "Guillelmi comitis Arelatensis"[226]. The Chronicle of Alberic de Trois-Fontaines names "Blanche comitisse Arelatensis" as mother of "Constantia [uxor Robertus rex]", specifying that she was "soror Gaufridi Grisagonelli"[227]. The Gesta Consulum Andegavorum names "Blanca sorore eius" ( "eius" referring incorrectly to Foulques "Nerra" Comte d'Anjou) as wife of "Guillelmi Arelatensis comitis" and as mother of Constance, wife of Robert II King of France[228]. "Dominus princeps et marchio istius provinciæ…Willelmus cum coniuge sua…Adelaix et filio suo…Willelmo" restored property to the abbey of Saint-Césaire d´Arles by charter dated 992, subscribed by "Domnus Rotbaldus comes…Willelmus comes filius Rotbaldi et uxor sua Lucia, Wilelmus comes Tolosanus et uxor sua Ema…"[229]. "Adalaiz comitissa" donated property to Saint-Victor de Marseille by charter dated 1003[230]. This charter is subscribed by "Emma comitissa…Wilelmus comes", the second of whom was presumably the son of Adelais but the first of whom has not been identified. "Pontius…Massiliensis ecclesie pontifex" issued a charter dated 1005 with the consent of "domni Rodhbaldi comitis et domne Adalaizis comitisse, domnique Guillelmi comitis filii eius"[231]. "Adalax comitissa mater Villelmi quondam Provintie comitis et Geriberga eque comitissa…eiusdem principis olim uxor" donated property to Saint-Victor de Marseille for the soul of their late son and husband respectively by charter dated 1018[232]. No explanation has been found for her having been named Adelais in some sources and Blanche in others, as it is difficult to interpret the documentation as meaning that they refer to two separate individuals. [Adelais may have married fifthly (before Sep 1016) as his second wife, Othon Guillaume Comte de Mâcon et de Nevers [Bourgogne-Comté]. Adelais's supposed fifth marriage is deduced from the following: Count Othon-Guillaume's wife is named Adelais in several charters[233], and Pope Benedict VIII refers to "domnæ Adeleidi comitissæ cognomento Blanchæ" with "nuruique eius domnæ Gerbergæ comitissæ" when addressing her supposed fifth husband in a document dated Sep 1016[234], Gerberga presumably being Count Othon-Guillaume's daughter by his first wife who was the widow of Adelaide-Blanche d´Anjou's son by her fourth husband. However, the document in question appears not to specify that "domnæ Adeleidi…" was the wife of Othon Guillaume and the extracts seen (the full text has not yet been consulted) do not permit this conclusion to be drawn. It is perfectly possible that the Pope named Adelais-Blanche in the letter only in reference to her relationship to Othon Guillaume´s daughter. If her fifth marriage is correct, Adelais would have been considerably older than her new husband, and probably nearly sixty years old when she married (Othon-Guillaume's first wife died in [1002/04]), which seems unlikely. Another difficulty is presented by the entries dated 1018, 1024 and 1026, quoted above and below, which appear to link Adelais to Provence while, if the fifth marriage was correct, she would have been with her husband (whose death is recorded in Sep 1026) in Mâcon.] "Vuilelmus filius Rodbaldi" donated property "in comitatu Aquense in valle…Cagnanam" to Marseille Saint-Victor by charter dated 1024, signed by "Adalaiz comitissa, Vuilelmus comes filius Rodbaldi"[235]. A manuscript written by Arnoux, monk at Saint-André-lès-Avignon, records the death in 1026 of "Adalax comitissa"[236]. The necrology of Saint-Pierre de Mâcon records the death "IV Kal Jun" of "Adalasia comitissa vocata regali progenie orta"[237]. An enquiry dated 2 Jan 1215 records that "comitissa Blanca" was buried "apud Montem Majorem"[238]. Comte Guillaume [II] & his second wife had two children: 1. GUILLAUME [III] ([986/87]-1018 before 30 May, bur Abbaye de Montmajour). 2. CONSTANCE ([987/89]-Château de Melun 22 or 25 Jul 1032, bur église de l'Abbaye royale de Saint-Denis).
   
6. Title: William I of Provence, "Find A Grave Index"
   Author: "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV23-G668 : 6 March 2021), William I of Provence, ; Burial, Sarrians, Departement du Vaucluse, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France, Church Of Saint Croix; citing record ID 61543673, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
   Publication: Name: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV23-G668;
   
7. Title: Wikipedia - Guillaume, Comte de Provence -translated from the french website
   Author: " PROVENCE: GUILLAUME [ II ] the Liberator " , on fmg.ac (consulted onMarch 30, 2017) ↑ a and b Martin Aurell , Jean-Paul Boyer and Noël Coulet - Provence in the Middle Ages , page 13 ↑ This is the brother of Boson II ; Boson was count of Arles and Guillaume count of Avignon. ↑ Before April 970 according to The Counts of Provence : Wilelmus comes Provincie et coniunx mea Arsinna donated property to Saint-Victor de Marseille by charter dated Apr 970. ↑ Arsinde's date of birth generally fixed around 950 could be older considering that the children of Count Arnaud, his father, were probably born in the years 930-945. Arsende would thus be much older than Guillaume. The date of his death also poses difficulties. We admit that it is between 979 and 983. ↑ Jean-Pierre Papon , Jules Frédéric Paul Fauris de Saint-Vincens - General History of Provence ... , page 491 here : Historians do not agree on the number of his wives; some give him one, others two, namely Arsinde and Adelaide. This la
   Publication: Name: https://fr-m-wikipedia-org.translate.goog/wiki/Guillaume_Ier_de_Provence?_x_tr_sl=fr&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=nui,elem,sc;
   Note: Guillaume I er de Provence said the Liberator, born around 955 and died at Avignon in 994 , after August 29[1], was a Provencal nobleman, famous for having defeated and driven out the Saracens of Provence in 973. William I of Provence Title of nobility Count of Provence Biography Birth Toward 955 Death After 29 Aug 993 Avignon Activity Monarch Family Bosonids Father Boson II of Arles Mother Constance Siblings Rotboald I of Provence Spouse Arsinde de Comminges Children Odile born c 976 died 1032 Ermengard Arsinde Spouse Adélaïde d'Anjou (m 984 upon the death of his fist wife, Arsinde in about 984) Children Constance d'Arles Guillaume II de Provence Son of Boson II , Count of Arles and Constance de Provence , he was successively Count of Avignon (962), Count of Provence (972), Marquis of Arles Provence (979) and Prince of all Provence (991) [2] . Due to an uncle also called William [3] , he is sometimes referred to as William II of Provence. Biography His early years Guillaume and his older brother Roubaud , succeeded their father Boson and uncle also called Guillaume between 962 and 966 . The county of Provence belongs to them in joint possession, Guillaume becoming count of Avignon and Roubaud count of Arles following the division in the previous generation between their father and uncle. He married between 968 and April 970 [4] , Arsinde de Comminges [ 5 ] , daughter of Arnaud, count of Comminges and d'Arsinde de Carcassonne. Arsinde, his first wife, has sometimes been confused with Adelaide, his second, but that controversy is now over[6] . From this first union with Arsinde de Comminges would be born: Odile de Provence known as Odile de Nice (c. 976-c. 1032) Arsinde Ermengarde The liberation of Provence and its consequences Following the removal of the Abbot Mayeul in July 972 by bands of Saracens installed in the Maures mountain range since the end of the IXth century, Count William and his brother Roubaud took the lead in reinforcing Provencal lost by the troops of Ardouin, count of Turin. They track down the Moors whom they crush at the battle of Tourtour in 973, then drive them out of Provence [7] . In September 983[8], Guillaume annihilated the Saracens on their return from a campaign in the Alps and his brother Roubaud retired from Freinet with the help of Ardouin Marquis of Turin [ 9 ] . This military campaign against the Saracens, conducted without Conrad's troops, is in fact coupled with a feudalization of Provence, of the local aristocracy and of the urban and peasant communities who had until then always refused the feudal mutation and the count's power. . This allowed William to obtain the de facto suzerainty of Provence and with the royal consent, to control the tax authorities of Provence. He distributed the reconquered lands to his vassals, such as the territory of Hyères to to the lords of Fos, arbitrated the differences of various individuals and created Provençal feudalism [10]. With Isarn, bishop of Grenoble , he undertook to repopulate the Dauphiné and authorized an Italian count named Ugo Blavia to settle near Fréjus in the early 970s to put the land back into cultivation. His government and his fame Like his father Boson, Guillaume was advised by a viscount who, from 977, accompanied him on all these trips [11] and he relied on a large group of judges to dispense justice [12] . Having become Marquis of Provence in 979 , he moved to Arles in the early 980s . When his first wife Arsinde de Comminges (c. 950-983) died, he married in 984 in this city, against the advice of the pope, Adelaide of Anjou who had just separated from her husband, the future king of France, Louis V. The couple had at least two children: William II of Provence (c.981-av.May 30, 1018) [ 13 ] Constance d'Arles ( 986 - 1032 ) queen of France by her marriage to Robert II around the year 1000 , Adelaide and another Ermengarde daughter of Arles , whose parentage is more disputed [14] ; Ermengarde Arles wife later Robert I st Auvergne . For all this, he is an important character in the chronicles of Raoul Glaber who treats him as a duke and he appears in a charter of 992 with the name of pater patriae . The end of his life At the end of his life, Guillaume became very pious and returned many goods to the Church's temporal. Already in 991 [15] , at the request of the bishop of Fréjus , Riculf [16], who implored the prince to make restitution of the former domains of the bishopric, Guillaume acceded to this petition and granted him in addition the half of Fréjus and the village of Puget [17]. In 992 , he also returned important estates in the Camargue to the Saint-Jean d'Arles monastery. In 993, near the end of his life, in the city of Avignon of which he was the count, he took the habit of a monk and appealed to the Abbot Mayeul to relieve his soul. He made restitutions and offerings to the abbey of Cluny [2], and was surrounded by a multitude of his subjects when Guillaume de Provence died, shortly after the 29 Aug 993. Before dying, he expressed the wish to be buried in Sarrians, near Carpentras, in the priory under construction on the villa offered to the Burgundian abbey [ 18 ] .
   Page: notes are extensive, click on link to view
   
8. Title: Wikipedia (English) William I of Provence, Wikipedia
   Author: Lewis, Archibald R. The Development of Southern French and Catalan Society, 718–1050. University of Texas Press: Austin, 1965. References Detlev Schwennicke, Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten, Neue Folge, Band II (Marburg, Germany: Verlag von J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafel 187
   Publication: Name: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_I_of_Provence;
   Note: William I (c. 950 – after 29 August 993), called the Liberator, was Count of Provence from 968 to his abdication. In 975 or 979, he took the title of marchio or margrave. He is often considered the founder of the county of Provence. He and his elder brother Rotbold I were sons of Boson II of Arles and his wife Constance, who, based on her name, has been speculated to be daughter of Charles Constantine of Vienne. They both carried the title of comes or count concurrently, but it is unknown if they were joint-counts of the whole of Provence or if the region was divided. His brother never bore any other title than count so long as William lived, so the latter seems to have attained a certain supremacy. In 980, he was installed as Count of Arles. His sobriquet comes from his victories against the Saracens by which he liberated Provence from their threat, which had been constant since the establishment of a base at Fraxinet. At the Battle of Tourtour in 973, with the assistance of the counts of the High Alps and the viscounts of Marseille and Fos, he definitively routed the Saracens, chasing them forever from Provence. He reorganised the region east of the Rhône, which he conquered from the Saracens and which had been given him as a gift from King Conrad of Burgundy. Also by royal consent, he and his descendants controlled the fisc in Provence. With Isarn, Bishop of Grenoble, he repopulated Dauphiné and settled an Italian count named Ugo Blavia near Fréjus in 970 in order to bring that land back to cultivation. For all this, he figures prominently in Ralph Glaber's chronicle with the title of dux and he appears in a charter of 992 as pater patriae. He donated land to Cluny and retired to become a monk, dying at Avignon, where he was buried in the church of Saint-Croix at Sarrians. He was succeeded as margrave by his brother. His great principality began to diminish soon after his death as the castles of his vassals, which he had kept carefully under ducal control, soon became allods of their possessors. Marriage and issue He married 1st Arsinde, daughter of Arnaud I de Carcassonne[1] they had no children: He married 2nd (against papal advice) in 984, Adelaide-Blanche of Anjou, daughter of Fulk II of Anjou and Gerberga, and their children were: Constance of Arles (986–1034), married Robert II of France.[1] William II (or III) of Provence.[1] Ermengarde, she married Robert I, Count of Auvergne.[1] Tota-Adelaide, she married Bernard I, Count of Besalú.[1]
   
9. Title: Wikipedia (French)- Guillaume Ier de Provence
   Author: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillaume_Ier_de_Provence
   Publication: Name: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillaume_Ier_de_Provence;
   Note: Guillaume Ier de Provence dit le Libérateur, né vers 955 et mort devant Avignon en 994, après le 29 août1, est un noble provençal, célèbre pour avoir vaincu et chassé les Sarrazins de la Provence en 973. Fils de Boson II, comte d'Arles et de Constance de Provence, il est successivement comte d'Avignon (962), comte de Provence (972), marquis de la Provence arlésienne (979) et prince de toute la Provence (991)2. En raison d'un oncle appelé lui aussi Guillaume3, il est parfois dénommé Guillaume II de Provence. Biographie Ses premières années Guillaume et son frère ainé Roubaud, succèdent à leurs père Boson et oncle appelé lui aussi Guillaume entre 962 et 966. Le comté de Provence leur appartient en indivision, Guillaume devenant comte d'Avignon et Roubaud comte d'Arles suivant la division opérée à la génération précédente entre leurs père et oncle. Il épouse entre 968 et avril 9704, Arsinde de Comminges5, fille d'Arnaud, comte de Comminges et d'Arsinde de Carcassonne. Si Arsinde, sa première femme, a parfois été confondue avec Adélaïde, sa seconde, pour ne lui faire qu'une seule et unique épouse, la controverse est aujourd'hui terminée6. De cette première union seraient nés : Odile de Provence dite Odile de Nice (c. 976-c. 1032) Arsinde Ermengarde La libération de la Provence et ses conséquences À la suite de l'enlèvement de l'abbé Mayeul en juillet 972 par les bandes de Sarrasins installées dans le massif des Maures depuis la fin du ixe siècle, le comte Guillaume et son frère Roubaud prennent la tête de l'ost provençal renforcé par les troupes d'Ardouin, comte de Turin. Ils traquent les Maures qu'ils écrasent à la bataille de Tourtour en 973, puis les chassent de Provence7. En septembre 9838, Guillaume anéanti les Sarrasins à leur retour d'une campagne dans les Alpes et son frère Roubaud prend leur retraite de Freinet avec l'aide d'Ardouin marquis de Turin9. Cette campagne militaire contre les Sarrasins conduite sans les troupes de Conrad, se double en fait d'une féodalisation de la Provence, de l'aristocratie locale et des communautés urbaines et paysannes qui avaient jusque-là toujours refusé la mutation féodale et le pouvoir comtal. Elle permet à Guillaume d'obtenir la suzeraineté de fait de la Provence et avec le consentement royal,de contrôler le fisc de la Provence. Il distribue les terres reconquises à ses vassaux, comme le territoire d’Hyères aux seigneurs de Fos, arbitre les différents et crée ainsi la féodalité provençale10. Avec Isarn, évêque de Grenoble, il entreprend de repeupler le Dauphiné et autorise un comte italien nommé Ugo Blavia à se fixer près de Fréjus au début des années 970 pour remettre les terres en cultures. Son gouvernement et sa renommée Comme son père Boson, Guillaume se fait conseiller par un vicomte qui dès 977 l'accompagne dans tous ces déplacements11 et il s'appuie sur un groupe important de juges pour rendre la justice12. Devenu marquis de Provence en 979, il s'installe à Arles au début des années 980. Sa première femme Arsinde de Comminges (c. 950-983) venant à décéder, il épouse en 984 dans cette cité, contre l'avis du pape, Adélaïde d'Anjou qui vient de se séparer de son époux, le futur roi de France, Louis V. Le couple aura au moins deux enfants : Guillaume II de Provence (c.981-av. 30 mai 1018)13 Constance d'Arles (986-1032) reine de France par son mariage avec Robert II vers l'an 1000, Adélaïde et une autre fille Ermengarde d'Arles, dont la filiation est plus contestée14; Ermengarde d'Arles épouse par la suite Robert Ier d'Auvergne. Pour tout ceci, il est un personnage important des chroniques de Raoul Glaber qui le traite de duc et il apparaît dans une charte de 992 avec le nom de pater patriae. La fin de sa vie À la fin de sa vie Guillaume devient très pieux et restitue de nombreux biens au temporel de l'Église. Déjà en 99115, à la demande de l'évêque de Fréjus, Riculf16, qui implore à Arles auprès du prince la restitution des anciens domaines de l'évêché, Guillaume accède à cette pétition et lui accorde de surplus la moitié de Fréjus et le village de Puget17. En 992, il rend également d’importants domaines en Camargue au monastère Saint-Jean d'Arles. En 993, se sentant mourir dans la ville d'Avignon dont il a été le comte, il prend l'habit de moine et fait appel à l'abbé Mayeul pour soulager son âme. Il fait des restitutions et des offrandes à l'abbaye de Cluny2, et c'est entouré par la multitude de ses sujets, que Guillaume de Provence passe de vie à trépas dans cette ville, peu après le 29 août 993. Avant de mourir, il émet le vœu d'être inhumé à Sarrians, près de Carpentras, dans le prieuré en cours de construction sur la villa offerte à l'abbaye bourguignonne18.
   
10. Title: William I, of Provence (950-993), Find a Grave
    Author: link from daughter Constance of Arles
    Publication: Name: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/61543673/william_i-taillefer;
    Note: William I Taillefer BIRTH 950 Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France DEATH Aug 993 (aged 42–43) France BURIAL Church Of Saint Croix Sarrians, Departement du Vaucluse, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France Show Map MEMORIAL ID 61543673 William I of Provence, Marquis of and founder of Provence, Count of Arles. Nicknamed the Liberator. William was the son of Boso II, Count of Avignon and Arles, and Constance of Viennois. William married Arsenda, daughter of Arnold of Comminges. Secondly, he married Blanche of Alix of Anjou, the daughter of Foulques II d' Anjou m Gerberge du Maine. William was the Count of Provence since 968, took the title of Margrave around 975, became the Count of Arles in 980, and earned his nickname because of his victories against the Saracens by which he liberated Provence from their constant threat at the Battle of Tourtour in 973. William retired to become a monk, passing the margrave position to his brother, dying at Avignon, and buried in the church of Saint-Croix at Sarrians.
    
11. Title: Web: Netherlands, GenealogieOnline Trees Index, 1000-Current
    Publication: Name: https://search.ancestry.com/collections/9289/records/25947028;