Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How did Richard I become duke of Aquitaine as a child?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Richard I
Richard I, detail of tomb effigy in the abbey church of Fontevrault-l'Abbaye, France.
Richard I became the duke of Aquitaine as a child because it was his mother's inheritance. Eleanor of Aquitaine was the daughter and heiress of William X, the previous duke, and she brought the vast duchy into her marriage with Henry II.123
Richard was given the duchy by his parents at age 11 and was formally enthroned as duke at Poitiers in 1172.1