Guillaume Guerlenc de Corbeil, Count de Corbeil et d'Avranches

GUILLAUME, SURNAMED WERLAC, COUNT OF CORBEIL AND

MORTAIGNE

Twenty-first in Ancestry

Section 1, Family of Werlac-Section 2, Contemporary History of Apulia and Calabria-Section 3, Contemporary History in Normandy-Section 4, Genealogy of Hamon Dentatus.

SECTION 1.

• 21. GUILLAUME, called by the Normans WERLAC or WERLING, Count of Corbeil and Count of Mortaigne. He also became Count of Banastre in Calabria, Italy, son of Mauger. Chapter 6, Section 1. Married . Child

:

1. *20. REGNAULT, Chapter 8, Section 1.

William of Jumieges (vii. 19) calls him "Willelmus cognomento Werlencus, de Stirpe Richardi Magni." Orderic (660 B) calls him "Guillelmum cognomento Werlengum, Moritolii Comitem, filium Malgerii Comitis," and Malger, or Mauger appears as an uncle of Duke Robert in Will. Gem. vi. 7. "Willelmus Comes de Mauritonio" signs a charter in Delisle, Preuves 30, which must therefore be older than 1055, the date which the Delisle gives. [The Norman Conquest, by Edward A. Freeman, vol. 2, page 191.]

There was mention made of him the first time, in 1040, in a charter by the terms of which he confirmed the donation made by Nantier, the viscount of Corbeil, to the Abbey of Saint Maur and to the Church of Saint Jean de 1'Hermitage de Corbeil, recently built close to the walls of Corbeil, which proves that Corbeil was already a fortified town. This Nantier, as we have seen, was one of the sons of Robert the first Viscount of Corbeil; they really were de Nogent, and not de Corbeil.

In 1043 the Count Guillaume appeared along with Nantier as Viscount, in another charter concerning the abbey.

In 1048 at Sens, in the palace of the king, he took part in a meeting composed of seven bishops and of Robert, Duke of Burgundy, brother of the King, of Rainaude, second Count of Sens, and of Raoul, Count of Valois. At this meeting King Henry granted a charter authorizing the establishment of the priory of Saint Ayoul, a provins. In the charter of 1050 he is mentioned as Guillemus Miles Castri Corbelli. The same year he was present at the opening of the hunt of St. Denis and his name appears as one of the attesting witnesses to the diploma thereof.

Shortly after this, however, Duke William, natural son of Robert of Normandy, who was at this time strengthening his position by despoiling all his foes of their possessions, and bestowing them on his own kinsmen, took advantage of a supposed treasonable remark of Count Guillaume, or Werlac, to deprive

Shortly after 1050 Werlac was dispossessed by Duke William of his lands and exiled to Italy. The Catholic Church could have backed him as a more legitimate heir to the title. And Duke William was not yet "The Conqueror".

It appears that a false charge of sedition was brought against him by Robert de Avranches and his brother Robert the Bigod. The quote they falsely attributed to Werlac sounded like a plan to take over Normandy. Werlac was seventy years old at this time. The exile left him as a traveling knight with only a squire as his attendant. The conspirators did not get his wealth. Instead, that went to the Duke's brother.

Duke William invited the elderly Werlac to visit as his beloved cousin. He was accompanied by one squire for this short visit. William then banished him beyond the border of Normandy and cast him penniless into France. The same evening the Duke's brother took possession of Werlac's estate and all it contained. Without information of what had been arranged with the King of France, Werlac and his man continued on horseback through France and crossed the Alps to Apulia to stay with Robert Guiscard where he was received with enthusiasm for his gifts of statesmanship, wisdom and experience.

Apulia was largely in the control of Norman families who had journeyed there as pilgrims and had seized the opportunity to set up their own republic with twelve Counts elected by popular suffrage. Amalfi was their capital.

Guiscard gave Werlac the manor of Banestere in Calabria. Some of his descendants still use the name Banistre to this day. His son returned to France and succeeded in a military career with the king.

Werlac became more and more homesick. With the permission of Duke William he went back to France and settled in Corbeil and repaired (in some measure) his fortunes.

Duke William allowed the aged man to return to die in the Church of St. Maur in Corbeil . He died May 27th 1067.

"While Guillaume or Werlac, after his return, was in Corbeil the inhabitants were greatly troubled by the plague caused by the intemperance of the season, which injured the crops and brought the famine. This followed so closely after the ravages of the pest of 1060 which had depopulated La Breipaque, the birthplace of St. Jean Baptist, that it added very much to the sufferings of the people. Werlac devoted so much of his time to visiting the sick and gave so freely of his private means to the poor and so feelingly extended his sympathy and encouragement in this time of great adversity that even to this day in Corbeil his name is spoken with veneration and respect. [Society Historie & Archeologique de Corbeil de Etamps et du Huipoix, bulletins 10 and 5] " (Ibid p.128)

Guillaume surnamed Werlac had the following child:

+ 11 i. Regnault6 de Corbeil was born before 1049 or 1052, the first event for which there is a recorded date.

Greve av Mortain

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ID: I07968

• Name:Guillaume (William) Warlong Comte de CORBEIL 1 2
• Sex: M
• Birth: ABT 998 in Corbeil, Marne, Champagne, France
• Death: 27 MAY 1067 in St Maur Monastery (as a monk) 3
• Note:
• William, dsp a monk in the Abbey of St. Maur. [Burke's Peerage]
• I have children for him. He was an elder son, and may have had title for a time. Note: Leo van de Pas, citing ES, gives him a child and a title.
• Father: Mauger Comte de CORBEIL b: 974 in Rouen, Seine-Inferieure, Normandy, France
• Mother: Germaine Comtesse de CORBEIL b: 978 in Corbeil, Marne, Champagne, France
• Marriage 1 Spouse Unknown
• Children
• Has Children
• Renaud de CORBEIL b: ABT 1020 in Corbeil, Marne, Champagne, France

NOTE this tree has Renaud de CORBEIL b: ABT 1020 in Corbeil, Marne, Champagne, France as Father of Bouchard and not as a brother

ID: I01808

• Name: Bouchard II Comte de CORBEIL 1 2
• Sex: M
• Birth: ABT 1040 in Corbeil, Marne, Champagne, France
• Death: BEF 1086
• Death: ABT 1095 2
• Death: BEF 1101 1
• Note: Leo van de Pas, citing ES, does not explain how Adelaide de Crecy married Gui II "le Rouge" as her 2nd husband and had a child in 1088, when her 1st husband died "bef. 1101". Either he died a lot earlier (as I have him), or they were divorced.
• Father: Renaud de CORBEIL b: ABT 1020 in Corbeil, Marne, Champagne, France
• Marriage 1 Adelaide de CRECY , Dame de Gournay-sur-Marne b: ABT 1054 in Crecy, Ardennes, Champagne, France
• Married: in 1st husband 3
• Children
• Has Children Elise (Elizabeth) de CORBEIL b: ABT 1070 in Corbeil, Marne, Champagne, France
• Has Children Adelaide Heiress de CORBEIL b: ABT 1073 in Corbeil, Marne, Champagne, France

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abstracted out from Mauger's about me is:

Comte Mauger & his wife had one child:
1. GUILLAUME "Guerlenc" de Corbeil (-1067). Orderic Vitalis calls him "son of Count Mauger" and says he was Comte de Mortain, banished by Guillaume II Duke of Normandy "on some trivial pretexts"[2268] in 1063. Guillaume de Jumièges names "Guillaume Guerlenc, de la descendance de Richard-le-Grand" as Comte de Mortain, recording that he was expelled from Normandy by Duke Guillaume II and went to Apulia [2269], dated to 1063 from other sources. “…Walterius comes Pontisariensis, Willelmus comes Corboilensis, Ivo comes Bellomontensis, Walerannus comes Melledensis” are named among those present at the opening of the reliquary of Saint-Denis, dated 9 Jun 1053[2270].
m ---. The name of Guillaume's wife is not known. Guillaume & his wife had three children:

• a) FREDERIC de Corbeil . The primary source which confirms his parentage has not yet been identified. 1066.
• b) PAYAN de Corbeil . The primary source which confirms his parentage has not yet been identified. 1066.
• c) RENAUD de Corbeil . The primary source which confirms his parentage has not yet been identified. 1067. m ---. The name of Renaud's wife is not known. Reanud & his wife had one child: