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Birth:          ABT 1009 Eu, Normandy

Notes
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=jweber&id=I26269
Constance was a 1st cousin of the half blood to Gilbert, which makes marriage 
somewhat questionable, but would explain why Gilbert finally received the Countship 
of Eu, which his father had, but only after William was Count in the period between 
father and son.

------------------

The following information was in a post-em from Curt Hofemann, curt_hofemann AT 
yahoo.com:

It has not been proven one way or another whether Godfrey & William were half or full 
brothers, so Constance (if she existed) may have been a full 1st cousin to Gilbert.

A better explanation of Gilbert becoming Count of EU would be that Gilbert’s father, 
Godfrey, who was originally given the lordship (Seigneury?) of Brionne, was then made 
Count of EU by his father Duke Richard I. When his brother Richard II "the Good" 
became Duke in 996, Godfrey rebelled & was then deprived of EU. Godfrey’s brother 
William, who had been Count of the Heimois, was then awarded the countship of EU. 
Godfrey was eventually forgiven & given back the lordship of Brionne, but not the 
countship of Eu. Godfrey died 1015 leaving Gilbert with only the lordship of Brionne. 
At William’s death, Godfrey’s son, Gilbert, _assumed_ the land & title, not through 
marriage, but because he argued that it was his inheritance since after William died, 
his wife & sons were expelled from Eu during Guy of Burgundy's rebellion. Gilbert was 
assassinated (having claimed the County of Eu for less than a year). His children were 
then forced to flee Normandy & were never to bring EU back into this branch. Eu 
reverted back to William’s son, William Busac, who in turn was deprived of it in favor 
of his brother Robert who became one of the Conqueror’s most trusted generals.

Another scenario put forth by Dave Utzinger (which I think incorrect) is that Godfrey 
didn’t rebel & lose Eu & that Gilbert inherited it. It was Gilbert who rebelled against 
Richard II & was thus deprived of Eu. Chronologically this doesn’t work as Richard II 
died 1027. In 1039-40, Wm the Conqueror (gson of Richard II) was Duke of Normandy. 
Also it is known that Gilbert’s uncle William was awarded Eu just prior to his death.

At any rate, it would seem that Gilbert claimed Eu, not by marriage but by inheritance 
& because at that time it had (temporarily) been vacated. Even if he married a dau of 
William Count of Eu’s dau (& I am extremely skeptical of this), he still would not have 
become Count of Eu because Wm’s sons had dibs. 

Regards,
Curt

Parents
DE HEIMOIS William (Guillaume) (ABT  970 - BEF 4 Jan 1039)
LE GOZ Beatrice (ABT  992 - )

Siblings
D'EU Constance (ABT 1009 - )

Marriage To DE BRIONNE Gilbert ("Crispin") (ABT  980 - ABT 1040)
    m.  

Notes

Parents
DE BRIONNE Godfrey (Geoffroy) (ABT  953 - ABT 1015)
DE GUINES Hawise (ABT  958 - )

Children by DE BRIONNE Gilbert ("Crispin") ABT  980 - ABT 1040
DE CLARE Richard Fitzgilbert "de Tonbridge" (ABT 1024 - ABT 1090)
CRISPIN Heselia (ABT 1025 - )
FITZ GILBERT Baldwin (ABT 1028 - 1090)
DE CLARE Ann (1038 - )

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