County of Poitou

The County of Poitou was a medieval county and historical region of France, founded in 778 CE. Its name derived from the ancient Gaul tribe of Pictones, and its seat was at Poitiers. The county was bounded by the Duchy of Brittany and the counties of Anjou, Touraine, La Marche, and Angoulême. Poitou was ruled by counts, who were also dukes of Aquitaine from the 950s. After Eleanor of Aquitaine's marriage to Louis VII of France in 1138, a Seneschal managed its daily affairs. In 1154, it passed to the kings of England through Eleanor's second marriage, but was conquered by King Philip II of France in 1205 and finally merged with the French crown in 1416.