Aimeri de Thouars

"Never have I seen a man so fairly armed nor one who rode so gallantly, or bore his arms, or became his hauberk so well; neither any one who carried his lance so gracefully, or sat his horse and manoeuvred him so nobly. There is no other such knight under Heaven! A fair Count he is, and a fair King he will be. Let him fight and he shall overcome; shame be to him who shall fail him!"

These are the words that Aimeri de Thouars spoke in describing William the Conqueror before the commencement of the Battle of Hastings. Aimeri was appointed by Duke William to lead, along with Alain of Brittany, the left wing of the army.It was said that Aimeri proved himself 'no coward that day'.

Aimery de Thouars was married to Aserengarde, sister of Raoul de Mauleon by whom he had two sons Herbert and Geoffrey and a daughter Ildergarde. Aimeri in 1088 gave the church of St. John the Evangelist, in the Castle of La Chaze to the Abbey of St.Florent de Saumerfor the purpose of saving the souls of his family.