Brienne agglomeration in the heart of the Champagne region, which
posed a significant challenge to the nearby house of Blois–a develop-
ment that the latter took steps to deal with, as we shall see. However,
the years when Walter was count of both Brienne and Bar-sur-Seine
mark almost the only period when a singlefigure headed the entire
agglomeration. Naming patterns suggest that Walter always intended to
follow the time-honoured practice of dividing his territories among his
heirs. It was thus the eldest son (or maybe the eldest who was not a
religious figure), Erard I, who inherited the patrimonial county of
Brienne on Walter’s death. By contrast, it was a younger son, bearing
the characteristic Bar-sur-Seine name of Milo, who succeeded to that
new county.^25
However, this division could not have assuaged all the fears of the
house of Blois. The brothers, Erard and Milo, remained very close to
one another throughout their lifetimes.^26 It is even possible that, for a
brief period after Erard’s death, Milo served as the effective regent for
Erard’s young son, Walter II.^27 It would not be surprising, though, if the
ties between the two branches of the dynasty began to fade after this.
Indeed, it is debatable how far subsequent members of the house of
Bar-sur-Seine saw themselves as Briennes. Certainly, they rarely, if ever,
used the original toponym.^28 Yet this should not be pressed too far.
Milo’s grandson and namesake, Milo III, went on the Second Crusade
alongside his Brienne kin and many other Champenois, as we shall see.
Moreover, it is well worth noting what took place after Milo III’s
premature death in the early 1150s, leaving behind an infant daughter,
Petronilla. Milo’s sole surviving brother, Manasses, was taken out of his
clerical career to serve as count of Bar-sur-Seine until Petronilla was old
enough for marriage. It was not until around 1168 that he duly retro-
ceded the county to Petronilla and her new husband, Hugh of Le Puiset.
Thereupon, Manasses promptly returned to his ecclesiastical life, rising
to become dean and then bishop of Langres.^29 In this way, he furnished
an example of an uncle holding a county in trust for a minor, and this
would later be followed by the senior line of the house of Brienne itself.
There is afinal point, too, that should certainly be mentioned. Although
the Le Puiset takeover marks the formal end of the Brienne cadet branch
of Bar-sur-Seine, something of the old link between the two families
persisted even after this date, as we shall see.^30
(^25) See‘Catalogue’, no. 22. (^26) ‘Catalogue’, nos. 22–7, 30, 33–4. (^27) Ibid., no. 35.
(^28) For examples of how Milo II styled himself, seeCartulaire du prieuré de Jully-les-Nonnains,
29 ed. E. Petit (Auxerre, 1881), pp. 1–4, 16, 30.
See Evergates,Aristocracy, p. 215.^30 See below,49.
16 ‘Between Bar-sur-Aube and Rosnay’(c. 950–1191)