Agnes of Aquitaine, Countess of Savoy


Agnes of Aquitaine was a daughter of William of Poitou, speculated to be William VII, Duke of Aquitaine, whose wife Ermesinde would then have been her mother. Agnes herself was Countess consort of Savoy and possibly Queen consort of Aragon.

Life

Possible wife of Ramiro I of Aragon

Agnes became a popular name in the House of Poitiers following the marriage of William V, Duke of Aquitaine to Agnes of Burgundy. Three Aquitainian women sharing the name Agnes are known to have married Iberian monarchs, and a fourth Iberian consort also named Agnes has been speculated to have been Aquitainian.
Ramiro I of Aragon married a second wife named Agnes, who based on the name is believed to be of Aquitainian origins. The woman's parentage is disputed; she may have been daughter of William VI, Duke of Aquitaine or his half-brother William VII, Duke of Aquitaine. It is believed by some that Duke William VI died childless. Likewise, unlike William VII, he was only step-son of Agnes of Burgundy, Duchess of Aquitaine, and hence less likely to name a daughter for her. On the other hand, any child of Duke William VII would have been no older than about six years old at the time of Ramiro's marriage, which could explain the lack of children born to Ramiro and his second wife.
Ramiro I died on 8 May 1063 leaving as widow this wife who is not again seen in Aragon. Since this was the year before Agnes, proposed as daughter of William VII, married Peter of Savoy, it allows them to have been the same person, though no direct evidence attests to this.

Countess of Savoy

In 1064, Agnes married Peter I, Count of Savoy. Three children are assigned to Peter and Agnes:
Peter died on July 9, 1078, leaving Agnes a widow. A charter confirms that Agnes, widow of Count Peter was still alive in June 1089.