West Francia
West Francia was a kingdom that emerged from Francia. France is the successor state.
Contents
History
Louis sought to divide the kingdom of Franks between his sons. During his lifetime, he appointed Pepin I as king of Aquitaine. Louis outlived Pepin however, and he reapportioned West Francia to his youngest son by his second wife, Charles II.
The Frankish nobility instead elected Pepin's son, Pepin II, as their king. This sparked a civil war, which Charles ultimately won.
Aquitaine was now lowered to a duchy and granted to the count of Poitiers, Ranulf I. He established the House of Poitiers which would hold this seat for several centuries.
Following the death of Ranulf II, his illegitimate son Ebles Manzer inherited but faced opposition. The count of Auvergne, William the Pious, conquered the duchy on his behalf and claimed the ducal title in the meantime. Ebles' son William III was eventually restored to the title.
Eleanor of Aquitaine inherited the duchy in her own right in 1137, but also was queen consort; first of France as the wife of Louis VII, and then of England as the wife of Henry II. (Her first marriage was annulled after 15 years; she gave birth to 2 daughters but no male heirs.) Through her and that second marriage, the duchy became a possession of the Angevins.
In 987, Hugh Capet was elected king. As the House of Capet reigned continuously from then until 1848, this is considered the end of West Francia and the beginning of the kingdom of France.