Guy of Burgundy (Count de Brionne)

From his mother, daughter of the Duke of Normandy Richard II , Guy received the rights to the Norman Duchy . After the death in 1035 of the Duke of Robert the Devil, Guy was among the contenders for the title, but at that time he did not have any possessions in Normandy and therefore could not receive serious support.

After 1035, Guy remained in Normandy, where he became a friend of William of Normandy , the illegitimate son of Robert the Devil, who was recognized in 1035 by the Duke of Normandy. Thanks to this friendship, Guy in 1040 received the rich lands around the castles of Brionne and Vernon, belonging to Gilbert de Brion , who was killed in 1039, with the title of Count ^[1] .

However, friendship with William did not prevent Guy from raising a rebellion against the duke in 1047. The rebellion was supported by wealthy landowners from Western Normandy - Viscount Cotanten Nigel II de Saint-Sauveur , Viscount Bayeux Ranulf I , as well as a number of other smaller lords ^{[2] [3]} .

Wilhelm could not oppose anything to the rebels and was forced to flee from Normandy. He turned for help to the king of France, Henry I , who, preoccupied with the situation of his vassal, who was in a very difficult situation, decided to help. The king gathered an army and in 1047 invaded the area of Imois , where he joined with the few troops recruited by William in Normandy. In the Dune Valley (southeast of Caen ) the army was met by rebels who managed to cross the Ornau River. At the beginning of the battle of Val es Dune, the Duke Wilhelm proved himself to be a brave warrior. At the same time, the rebels were disorganized by the fact that one of the barons, Ralph II Tesson, sided with William. As a result of the battle, the rebel army was defeated, the remnants fled across the Ornu River, while many drowned at the crossing ^{[2] [3]} .

King Henry I after the victory returned to his possessions, and William continued to pursue the barons, many of whom were able to escape. Guy of Burgundy, although he was wounded, was able to lead a sufficiently large detachment from the battlefield and take refuge in the castle of Brionne. Wilhelm did not succeed in taking the castle, the siege lasted almost three years, and all this time Brionne posed a threat to the duchy. Only at the end of 1049 or the beginning of 1050 did Guy surrender. His life was saved, but he lost his possessions in Normandy and was forced to leave it ^[4] .

Initially, Guy settled at the court of Count Anjou Geoffrey II Martel , but then he moved to Burgundy County , where for 10 years he fought against his older brother Guillaume I , trying to remove him ^[5] .

Guy was last mentioned in historical sources in 1069.

• Barlow F. William I and the Norman Conquest of England / Per. from English under the editorship of K.F. n S.V. Ivanova. - SPb. : Eurasia, 2007 .-- 320 p. - 1000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-8071-0240-1 .
• Douglas D. William the Conqueror. Viking on the English throne / Per. from English L. Igorevsky. - M .: Centerpolygraph, 2005 .-- 431 p. - 7,000 copies. - ISBN 5-9524-1736-1 .

• Comtes de Bourgogne 1026-1200 (Ivrea) (English) . Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. Date of treatment May 7, 2012.