William III called Towhead from the colour of his hair, was the "Count of the Duchy of Aquitaine" from 959 and Duke of Aquitaine

Duke of Aquitaine

The Duke of Aquitaine ruled the historical region of Aquitaine under the supremacy of Frankish, English and later French kings....

 from 962 to his death. He was also the Count of Poitou (as William I) from 935 and Count of Auvergne

Rulers of Auvergne

-History:In the 7th century Auvergne was disputed between the Franks and Aquitanians. It was later conquered by the Carolingians, and was integrated for a time into the kingdom of Aquitaine...

 from 950. The primary source

Primary source

Primary source is a term used in a number of disciplines to describe source material that is closest to the person, information, period, or idea being studied....

s for his reign are Ademar of Chabannes, Dudo of Saint-Quentin

Dudo of Saint-Quentin

Dudo, or Dudon was a Norman historian, and dean of Saint-Quentin, where he was born about 965. Sent in 986 by Albert I, Count of Vermandois, on an errand to Richard I, Duke of Normandy, he succeeded in his mission, and, having made a very favorable impression at the Norman court, spent some years...

, and William of Jumièges

William of Jumièges

William of Jumièges was a contemporary of the events of 1066, and one of our earliest writers on the subject of the Norman Conquest. He is himself a "shadowy figure", only known by his dedicatory letter to King William as a monk of Jumièges...

.

William was son of Ebalus Manzer

Ebalus of Aquitaine

Ebalus or Ebles Manzer or Manser was Count of Poitou and Duke of Aquitaine on two occasions: from 890 to 892 and from 902 and 927 to his death....

 and Emilienne. He was born in Poitiers

Poitiers

Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...

. He claimed the Duchy of Aquitaine from his father's death, but the royal chancery did not recognise his ducal title until the year before his own death.

Shortly after the death of King Rudolph

Rudolph of France

Rudolph was the Duke of Burgundy between 921 and 923 and King of Western Francia from thereafter to his death. Rudolph inherited the duchy of Burgundy from his father, Richard the Justiciar...

 in 936, he was constrained to forfeit some land to Hugh the Great

Hugh the Great

Hugh the Great or Hugues le Grand was duke of the Franks and count of Paris, son of King Robert I of France and nephew of King Odo. He was born in Paris, Île-de-France, France. His eldest son was Hugh Capet who became King of France in 987...

 by Louis IV

Louis IV of France

Louis IV , called d'Outremer or Transmarinus , reigned as King of Western Francia from 936 to 954...

.