Geoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex to the crown, perhaps in part due to a large fine levied by Henry I due to his displeasure at the escape of an important political prisoner when William was in charge of the Tower of London. The King also held the substantial estate of Geoffrey's maternal grandfather Eudo "le Dapifer" to which Geoffrey laid claim. Geoffrey gained Eudo's lands and his father's offices during the shifting tides of fortunes of the two competitors for the English throne after King Henry I's death in 1135. He initially supported Stephen, who sometime in 1140 (most likely May of that year) made
Simon I, Count of Saarbrücken Simon I, Count of Saarbrücken Simon I of Saarbrücken (died after 1183) was a German nobleman. He was the second ruling Count of Saarbrücken , in office 1135 - 1183. Simon was a son of Frederick, Count of Saarbrücken (d. 1135) and his wife Gisela of Lorraine (b.c. 1100), daughter of Theodoric II, Duke of Lorraine. He succeeded his father as Count of Saarbrücken in 1135. His younger brother Adalbert II became Archbishop of Mainz in 1138. After his death, the county was divided. His eldest son, Simon II inherited a smaller County of Saarbrücken; his younger son Henry I