Gilbert, Count of Brionne
| Gilbert de Brionne 2nd Count of Eu 2nd Count of Brionne |
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| (Cognomen: Gilbert Crispin) | |
Arms of the Counts of Eu from the House of Normandy: D'azur, au lion d'or,l'écu semé de billettes d'or
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| Hereditary | |
| Count of Eu | 1015-1040 |
| Predecessor | Geoffery, 1st Count of Eu, 1st Count of Brionne |
| Successor | William II |
| Issue | |
| Family | de Clare |
| Father | Geoffrey, Count of Eu |
| Mother | Lasceline De Turqueville |
| Born | 1000 Duchy of Normandy
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| Died | 1040 Duchy of Normandy
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| Buried | Duchy of Normandy |
| Religion | Catholicism |
| Occupation | Norman Peerage |
Gilbert (or Giselbert) de Brionne, 2nd Count of Eu, 2nd Count of Brionne (c. 1000 – c. 1040), was an influential Norman Nobleman in the Duchy of Normandy in Northern France. He was one of the early guardians of Duke William II in his minority. If Lord Brionne would have survived his murder the senior house of de Clare would have probably been known as de Brionne. Lord Brionne was the first to be known by the cognomen Crispin because of his hair style which stood up like the branches of a pine tree.
Gilbert de Brionne was son of Geoffrey de Brionne, Count of Eu (born 962) who was an illegitimate child of Richard I of Normandy. 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.
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 Eschafour. 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, and it is not clear what Ralph de Gacé had to do in the business. 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. His 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 who acted independently of the crown.
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Wikipedia