 The county was bounded on the north by the Duchy of Brittany, the counties of Anjou and Touraine, on the east by the County of La Marche and on the south by the County of Angoulême.The seat of the county was at Poitiers.Poitou was ruled by the count of Poitou, a continuous line of which can be traced back to an appointment of Charlemagne in 778.