Brian fitz Count was an illegitimate son of
Alan IV, Duke of Brittany, and thus the half-brother of
Conan III, Duke of Brittany. He was sent to be raised at the court of King
Henry I of England. Brian became a close friend of
Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester, Henry I's illegitimate son, and the two remained longstanding allies. In 1127 Brian and Robert were chosen by Henry to accompany his daughter,
Empress Matilda, to
Anjou during the negotiations for her marriage to
Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou. As a
Marcher Lord through the Barony of
Abergavenny, Brian was reputedly concerned with the resurgence of Welsh hostility following the death of
Henry I. Brian married an English heiress,
Matilda D'Oyly, widow of
Miles Crispin, and through her obtained the
Honour of Wallingford . Brian also inherited the
castle and Barony of
Abergavenny in the
Welsh Marches from his uncle,
Hamelin de Balun. He held the
honour of
Grosmont Castle, but by what right is uncertain. He gave this to
Walter de Hereford, the son of
Miles de Gloucester, 1st Earl of Hereford about 1141. Brian held the honour of
Wallingford by marriage, and his extensive estates in the counties of
Berkshire and
Wiltshire ran from the
Chilterns to the
Thames. He supported Empress Matilda against King Stephen from 1139 on. Unlike the other Marcher Lords that followed
Robert of Gloucester in swearing for Matilda in 1138, Brian only swore his support for Empress Matilda upon her arrival in England at
Arundel in 1139. Although Stephen's forces repeatedly besieged
Wallingford Castle, they failed to take the fortification and had to retreat as it had been reinforced by Brian. Wallingford Castle under Brian fitz Count was considered impregnable, not just because of the fortifications but also due to the large body of fighting men he had gathered together. His castle of Wallingford was the easternmost point of the Angevin defences in the Thames valley and it held off King Stephen's forces for over thirteen years. When Brian died is unknown. After his death, Matilda became a
nun at
Bec and died in the 1150s. As they had no heirs, their lands and castles in England and Wales reverted to the Crown early in the reign of
Henry II of England. ==Notes==