Aimery IV of Thouars

Aimery IV viscount of Thouars ( 1024 – c. 1094) was a companion of William the Conqueror on his Invasion of England in 1066. Life He was the son of Geoffrey II of Thouars, and Agnes de Blois, daughter of Odo I, Count of Blois and Bertha of Burgundy. In 1055 he was allied with Geoffroy Martel, Count of Anjou, against William, Duke of Normandy, and he participated in the siege of Ambrières, a castle built by William on the border of the County of Maine. After returning to Thouars in 1056, he joined the army of the Duke of Aquitaine to fight against the Saracens in Spain. He participated in the capture of Barbastro and brought a rich booty back to his hometown of Thouars. In 1066, he was in England as part of the invading army of William the Conqueror. At the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, he commanded a corps composed of Poitevins, Bretons, and Angevins. Aimery IV did not settle in England, however, but received ample reimbursement and returned to his continental lands.