Ebalus of Aquitaine
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Ebalus of Aquitaine or Ebles Manzer (ca.870–935) was Count of Poitiers between 901 and 935 and two times Duke of Aquitaine, first between 890 and 893, second from 927 to his death. In the interval, Aquitaine was ruled by Dukes of the house of Auvergne.
Ebles was an illegitimate son of Ranulf II of Poitiers by, possibly, a Jewish woman. Mamzer is a Hebrew word meaning "bastard". He married an Emiliene and by her had two sons, Ebalus (Ebles) bishop of Limoges, and William III of Aquitaine.
Ebles was established as Comté de Poitiers in 892 by his father Ranulf II, in the presence of Aymar of Poitiers, and supported by Eudes I of France. Ebles gained the favor of William I the Pious, Count of Auvergne, who placed Aquitaine under his authority.
In 902, Ebles launched the conquest of his county with an army lent by his distant relative William the Pious. He took Poitiers in the absence of Aymar and established control of the county. He was investitured as Comté de Poitou by Charles the Simple, with whom Ebles was raised.
Comté de Poitou was the only title in which he ever had legitimate investiture. Ebles alloted the Abbey of Saint-Maixent to Viscomte Savary de Thouars who had been his constant supporter. He restructured Poitou by creating new vicomtés in Aulnay and Melle and dissolved the title and position of Viscomte de 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 that opposed Rollon.
In 927, William the Younger, heir to William the Pious, and then his successor, his brother Alfred, died in the space of one year. Alfred, having made Ebles his heir, Ebles thus found himself Duke of Aquitaine, Comté du Berry, d'Auvergne and du Velay.
In 929, King Raoul started trying to reduce the power of Ebles Manzer. He withdrew from him access to Berry, then in 932 he transfered the titles of Duc d'Aquitaine and Comté d'Auvergne to the Count of Toulouse Raymond III Pons. Moreover the territory of March which was under the control of the Seigneur de Charroux, vassal of Ebles, was transformed into an independent county.
See also: Dukes of Aquitaine family tree
| Preceded by: Ranulf II | Duke of Aquitaine First Reign | Succeeded by: William I |
| Alfred | Duke of Aquitaine Second Reign | William III |
| Robert | Count of Poitiers |