| Notes |
Godfrey (Geoffrey) was the eldest of the illegitimate children of Duke R i c h a r d I (the Fearless), the Conqueror's great-grandfather. While the D u k e g r a nted Godfrey Brionne, he did not make him a count. Godfrey's com i t a l t i tle derives from the grant of the county of Eu made to him after 9 9 6 b y h i s h alf-brother, Duke Richard II. After Godfrey's death, Eu was g i v e n t o W illiam, another of Duke Richard I's bastard sons, and Gilbert, G o d f r e y's son, was left with only the lordship of Brionne. However, unde r D u k e R o bert I, father of William the Conqueror, Gilbert assumed the t it l e o f c o unt of Brionne while not relinquishing his claim to Eu. When C o u n t W i lliam of Eu died shortly before 1040, Gilbert assumed the land a n d t i t l e, but he was assassinated in 1040 and his young sons, Richard a n d B a l d win, were forced to flee Normandy, finding safety at the court o f B a l d w in V, count of Flanders. When William the Conqueror married Coun t B a l d w in's daughter, he restored Gilbert's sons to Normandy, although h e d i d n o t i nvest them with either Brionne or Eu or a comital title. Wil li a m g r a nted the lordships of Bienfaite and Orbec to Richard fitz Gilbe r t , a n d L e Sap and Meules to Baldwin. While Gilbert's descendants lat e r p r e s s e d a claim for Brionne, it was never restored.
|
Abt 953 - 1015 (62 years)
