Brien FitzCount

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Brien FitzCount (also known as Brian de Insula, Brian des Illes and Brian of Wallingford), was the Lord of Wallingford and Baron Abergavenny, and a staunch supporter of the Empress Matilda during the Anarchy of King Stephen's reign in England.

He was the illegitimate son of Alan IV, Duke of Brittany. His date of birth is unknown but Brien was almost certainly born before his father became a monk in 1112. He was sent to be fostered at the court of King Henry I of England. He married an English heiress, Matilda D'Oyly, widow of Miles Crispin, and through her obtained Wallingford by 1127. Brien also inherited the castle and barony of Abergavenny from his uncle, Hamelin de Balon. He declared for the Empress Matilda in 1139, and was besieged by the forces of King Stephen, but the monarch failed to take Wallingford Castle and had to retreat.

Brien and Matilda had two sons who were both stricken with leprosy, and who died young. Brien made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and died there sometime around 1147. Matilda became a nun at Bec and died a few years later, and as they had no heirs their lands and castles reverted to the Crown.

Briens des Illes appears as a character in Arthurian romance by Chrétien de Troyes.

[edit] References

Ford, David Nash. (2001). 'Brian FitzCount' in Royal Berkshire History.
Round, J. Horace. (1889). 'Fitzcount, Brian' in Leslie Stephen's Dictionary of National Biography.
Weston, J.L. (1925). Who was Brian des Illes? Modern Philology, 22, 405-411.