Duchy of Aquitaine

Duchy of Aquitaine Ducat d'Aquitània (Occitan) Duché d'Aquitaine (French)
602–1453
Flag Angevin coat of arms (12th century)
Map of France in 1154
Status	Fief of Francia (602 – late 7th century), independent duchy (intermittently late 7th century – 769)
Common languages	Medieval Latin Old Occitan
Religion	Christianity
Government	Feudal monarchy
Duke of Aquitaine
• 860–866	Ranulf I of Aquitaine
• 1058–1086	William VIII of Aquitaine
• 1126–1137	William X of Aquitaine
• 1137–1204	Eleanor of Aquitaine
• 1422–1453	Henry VI of England
Historical era	Middle Ages
• Duke appointed by the Merovingian kings	602
• Annexed by Kingdom of France	1453
Preceded by Succeeded by Visigothic Kingdom Umayyad Caliphate Francia Duchy of Guyenne Kingdom of France
Today part of	France

The Duchy of Aquitaine (Occitan: Ducat d'Aquitània, IPA: [dyˈkad dakiˈtaɲɔ]; French: Duché d'Aquitaine, IPA: [dyʃe dakitɛn]) was a historical fiefdom in western, central, and southern areas of present-day France to the south of the river Loire, although its extent, as well as its name, fluctuated greatly over the centuries, at times comprising much of what is now southwestern France (Gascony) and central France.

It originated in the 7th century as a duchy of Francia, ultimately a recreation of the Roman provinces of Aquitania Prima and Secunda. As a duchy, it broke up after the conquest of the independent Aquitanian duchy of Waiofar, going on to become a sub-kingdom within the Carolingian Empire. It was then absorbed by West Francia after the 843 partition of Verdun and soon reappeared as a duchy under it. In 1153, an enlarged Aquitaine pledged loyalty to the Angevin kings of England. As a result, a rivalry emerged between the French monarchs and the Angevins over control of the latter's territorial possessions in France. By the mid-13th century, only Gascony remained in Angevin hands. The Hundred Years' War finally saw the kingdom of France gain full control over Aquitaine in the 1450s, with much of its territory directly incorporated into the French royal domain itself.