Gilbert, Count of Brionne

Gilbert de Brionne
Count of Eu1015–1040
PredecessorGeoffrey
SuccessorWilliam I
Bornc. 1000
Died1040
Échauffour, Normandy[1]
FamilyHouse of Normandy/de Clare
IssueRichard Fitz Gilbert
Baldwin FitzGilbert
FatherGeoffrey, Count of Eu
MotherUnknown

Gilbert (or Giselbert) de Brionne, Count of Eu and of Brionne (c. 1000 – c. 1040), was an influential nobleman in the Duchy of Normandy in Northern France.[2] He was one of the early guardians of Duke William II in his minority, and a first cousin to William's father Duke Robert.

Life

Gilbert de Brionne was son of Geoffrey, Count of Eu (otherwise cited as 'Godfrey'), who was an illegitimate child of Richard I of Normandy.[3] He inherited Brionne, becoming one of the most powerful landowners in Normandy. Gilbert was a generous benefactor to Bec Abbey founded by his former knight Herluin in 1031. When Robert I died in 1035, his illegitimate son William inherited his father's title and several powerful nobles, including Gilbert of Brionne, Osbern the Seneschal and Alan of Brittany, became William's guardians.

Death

Map of the Duchy of Normandy

A number of Norman barons, including Ralph de Gacé, refused to accept William as their leader. In 1040 an attempt was made to kill William but the plot failed. Gilbert however was murdered while he was peaceably riding near Echauffour.[4] It is believed two of his killers were Ralph of Wacy and Robert de Vitot. This appears to have been an act of vengeance for the wrongs inflicted upon the orphan children of Giroie by Gilbert,[5] and it is not clear what Ralph de Gacé had to do in the business.[a]

Fearing they might meet their father's fate, Gilbert's sons Richard and Baldwin were conveyed by their friends to the court of Baldwin V, Count of Flanders. Gilbert's children would accompany Duke William on his conquest of England and his descendants would become one of the most powerful noble families in the British isles. They would rule over vast lands in modern-day Ireland, Scotland, and England and become powerful Marcher Lords.[citation needed]

Children

Gilbert de Brionne married Gunnor d'Aunou[6] and with her had the following children:


Notes

  1. ^ Although, Ralph de Gacé was the brother-in-law of Hawisa d'Échauffour, daughter of Giroie. See: Schwennicke, ES II, 79; ES III/4, 697.
  2. ^ The "Eye Priory Cartulary and Charters" state Hesilia was the daughter of Gilbert of Crispin.[8]

References

  1. ^ David C. Douglas, William the Conqueror (Berkeley & Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1964), p. 40
  2. ^ Deck, S. (1954). Le comté d'Eu sous les ducs. In Annales de Normandie (Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 99-116). Université de Caen.
  3. ^ George Edward Cokayne, The Complete Peerage of England Scotland Ireland Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant Extinct or Dormant, ed. Vicary Gibbs, Vol. IV (London: The St. Catherine Press, Ltd., 1916), p. 308
  4. ^ David C. Douglas, William the Conqueror (Berkeley & Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1964), p. 40
  5. ^ Ordericus Vitalis, The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy, trans. Thomas Forester, Vol. I (London: Henry G. Bohn, 1853), p. 391, n. 2
  6. ^ Davis 2013, p. 21.
  7. ^ a b Altschul 1965, table I.
  8. ^ Brown 1994, p. ?.

Sources

  • Altschul, Michael (1965). A Baronial Family in Medieval England: The Clares, 1217-1314. The Johns Hopkins University Press.
  • Brown, Vivien, ed. (1994). Eye Priory Cartulary and Charters. Vol. 2. The Boydell Press.
  • Davis, Paul R. (2013). Three Chevrons Red The Clares: A Marcher Dynasty in Wales, England and Ireland. Logaston Press. ISBN 978-1-906663-80-3.