WI: William IX, Count of Poitiers survives childhood?

Young Prince William was the firstborn son of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He was born on the 17th of August 1153, but died after a seizure in April 1156. He was only ever given the honour of being the Count of Poitiers, a fiefdom belonging to his mother.

Having died at such a young age, there is no telling what kind of man he would have grown into had he survived. But would it be worth speculating on the future of the Plantagenet Angevin Empire if he managed to survive into adulthood?
 
Can't think of any reason why not. Assuming no butterflies on the other children, this might make things worse rather than better.

But its still worth speculating on how he would fit into the feuds and what he'd do and what he'd inherit.
 
The survival of William IX, count of Poitiers, would have a huge impact on the Angevin Empire. This makes him the firstborn of Henry II and Eleanor, making him the likely heir of the Kingdom of England. This also means Henry II has not four but FIVE sons he will have to give inheritance : William, Henry the Young, Richard Lionheart, Geoffrey and John Lackland.

Henry II will thus probably divide his Empire differently. William, as the firstborn, is likely to be given England, and maybe even Normandy. Henry the Young could get Greater Anjou (Anjou, Maine, Tourraine) and Richard could still become Duke of Aquitaine since he is Eleanor's favorite. If Geoffrey still marries Constance of Britanny, he will probably still get Britanny.
There arises the question of Poitiers... It is part of Eleanor's inheritance (She was both Duchess of Aquitaine and Countess of Poitiers), but was apparently already given to William before his death OTL. Thus, this could lead to a dispute between Richard and William over the County if William were to survive.
The question of John's inheritance also remains. OTL, John got the Lordship of Ireland but his father had to conquer it and it half failed. And when he tried to give more lands to John, his other sons rebelled. With another son, Henry II will find himself in a more complicated situation.

The Capetian strategy of "divide and rule" could also be altered in this scenario. OTL, Louis VII in 1173 then Philip Augustus through most of his reign turned the Plantagenêts against one another. With another Plantagenêt, they will keep the main goal, but they will have to take William into the equation.

A lot of the things to come will depend on William's character : he could very well be Henry II's favorite son (as John was OTL) or rebel against his father's despotism (as did his other brothers OTL). I tend to go for the second as the division of the Empire will always be a thorn in Henry II's side : his deals never satisfied his sons and it probably will stay the same in this scenario.
 
The survival of William IX, count of Poitiers, would have a huge impact on the Angevin Empire. This makes him the firstborn of Henry II and Eleanor, making him the likely heir of the Kingdom of England. This also means Henry II has not four but FIVE sons he will have to give inheritance : William, Henry the Young, Richard Lionheart, Geoffrey and John Lackland.

Henry II will thus probably divide his Empire differently. William, as the firstborn, is likely to be given England, and maybe even Normandy. Henry the Young could get Greater Anjou (Anjou, Maine, Tourraine) and Richard could still become Duke of Aquitaine since he is Eleanor's favorite. If Geoffrey still marries Constance of Britanny, he will probably still get Britanny.
There arises the question of Poitiers... It is part of Eleanor's inheritance (She was both Duchess of Aquitaine and Countess of Poitiers), but was apparently already given to William before his death OTL. Thus, this could lead to a dispute between Richard and William over the County if William were to survive.
The question of John's inheritance also remains. OTL, John got the Lordship of Ireland but his father had to conquer it and it half failed. And when he tried to give more lands to John, his other sons rebelled. With another son, Henry II will find himself in a more complicated situation.

The Capetian strategy of "divide and rule" could also be altered in this scenario. OTL, Louis VII in 1173 then Philip Augustus through most of his reign turned the Plantagenêts against one another. With another Plantagenêt, they will keep the main goal, but they will have to take William into the equation.

A lot of the things to come will depend on William's character : he could very well be Henry II's favorite son (as John was OTL) or rebel against his father's despotism (as did his other brothers OTL). I tend to go for the second as the division of the Empire will always be a thorn in Henry II's side : his deals never satisfied his sons and it probably will stay the same in this scenario.

There's also the probability of William being married to Margaret of France and having sons.

If William does become King this has the bonus of maybe skipping over Richard's reign and the financial troubles that caused.
 
I'm sure I read somewhere that William was designated as the heir to his mother's territories (which is why she ceded him the county of Poitiers) and to England and Normandy, while the younger Henry was designated as heir to his father's Anjou territories.

However, as this was at a time when Henry and Eleanor had only 2 sons things may have changed as more were born.

Obviously, a lot will depend on what William turns out like and which of his parents he is closer to, but I can't help think having 5 adult sons instead of 4 is going to cause more of a problem for Henry. Perhaps there will be more of an effort to push John towards a career in the Church.
 
If more sons of Henry and Eleonore survive, this could mean more trouble, but that at the same time assumes that they are like their surviving siblings. Maybe William and/or young Henry for that matter turn out to be more capable rulers than their younger surviving brothers.
OTOH that still leaves the problem of more sons wanting a piece of the pie, so chances are one of them, most likely John, will (have to) pursue a career in the church; or maybe John is lucky and Alicia of Savoy survives, so that he can rule Savoy with her.
 
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