Giselbert II, Count of Duras


Count Giselbert , was the deputy advocate of Saint Trudo’s Abbey. At least by 1111 he began to be referred to as not just a count, but specifically the Count of Duras, and he may have been the first to be known under that title. He was son of Otto I, Count of Duras, and his wife Oda. Giselbert was involved in several conflicts which involved the abbey, as mentioned in several parts in the Abbey's Gesta or chronicle.
Apart from the Gesta, much of what we know about Giselbert is from the charters that he witnessed, which also gives insight as to his relationship with the Counts of Namur, a family into which he eventually married. Emperor Henry IV confirmed donations made by Henry I, Count of Durbuy, son of Albert II, Count of Namur, to the Church of Saint James in Liège, as witnessed by Giselbert. The emperor also confirmed the claim of Albert’s family to Saint Begga's Collegiate Church in Andenne.
Giselbert married twice. His first wife was Gertrud, of unknown parentage. His second wife was Oda, daughter of Otto II, Count of Chiny, and his wife Alix, daughter of Albert III, Count of Namur. Giselbert and Gertrud had eight children:
Wolters identifies Julienne, daughter of Otto II, as an additional daughter of Giselbert and Gertrud, but this is unlikely as her husband and their sons inherited the countship of Duras. Upon his death, Giselbert was succeeded as Count of Duras by his son Otto.

Primary sources