He was Count of Brienne as Walter VII and Lord of Enghien in 1364–1381.
He is notorious for his sack of the city of Geraardsbergen on July 7, 1381, wherein his troops burned and destroyed the town, killing many of its inhabitants.
Rejoining the Flemish army besieging Ghent, he and a handful of companions were trapped by an ambush laid by the Ghentois, perhaps composed of survivors of Geraardsbergen.
He and his illegitimate half-brother John were both cut down in the fighting.
He was succeeded by his heir in proximity of blood, his uncle Louis of Enghien.