A major city of Aquitaine and a center of ducal power in western France.
Poitiers was the ducal center of Aquitaine and one of the most important cities in medieval western France. Its connection to Eleanor of Aquitaine made it a focal point of Angevin power in the twelfth century.
The region also lent its name to two separate medieval battles: the 732 engagement sometimes called Poitiers and the Black Prince's victory over John II of France in 1356.
As the administrative center of Aquitaine, Poitiers passed between French and English control during the prolonged Angevin-Capetian conflict. Eleanor of Aquitaine's court there was associated with troubadour culture.
The Battle of Poitiers in 1356 saw Edward the Black Prince defeat and capture John II of France, one of the most consequential French royal captivities of the Hundred Years' War. John's captivity produced the Treaty of Brétigny in 1360 and a massive ransom demand that strained French finances for years.