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Godfrey of Bouillon

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Godfrey of Bouillon
Godfrey of Bouillon, from the Roman de Godefroy de Bouillon by Maître du Roman de Fauvel, c. 1330
Godfrey of Bouillon, from the Roman de Godefroy de Bouillon by Maître du Roman de Fauvel, c. 1330
Advocate of the Holy Sepulchre
Reign 22 July 1099 – 18 July 1100
Successor Baldwin I (as King of Jerusalem)
Duke of Lower Lorraine
Reign 1089–1096
Predecessor Conrad
Successor Henry I
Born c. 1060
Boulogne, County of Flanders
Died 18 July 1100 (aged 39–40)
Jerusalem, Kingdom of Jerusalem
Burial Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem
House House of Flanders
Father Eustace II of Boulogne
Mother Ida of Lorraine
Religion Roman Catholicism

Godfrey of Bouillon[1] (c. 1060 – 18 July 1100) was a preeminent leader of the First Crusade, and the first ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from 1099 to 1100. Although initially reluctant to take the title of king, he agreed to rule as prince (princeps) under the title Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri, or Advocate of the Holy Sepulchre.[2]

He was the second son of Eustace II, Count of Boulogne in present day France. He received an inheritance from his mother's family in 1076 when he became Lord of Bouillon, which is now in Belgium. In 1087, Emperor Henry IV also confirmed him as Duke of Lower Lorraine, in reward for his support during the Great Saxon Revolt.

Along with his brothers Eustace III and Baldwin of Boulogne, Godfrey joined the First Crusade in 1096. He took part in actions at Nicaea, Dorylaeum, and Antioch, before playing a key role during the capture of Jerusalem in 1099. When Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse declined the offer to become ruler of the new kingdom, Godfrey accepted the role and secured his kingdom by defeating the Fatimids at Ascalon a month later, bringing the First Crusade to an end. He died in July 1100 and was succeeded by his brother Baldwin as King of Jerusalem.

Early life

Godfrey of Bouillon was born around 1060, probably in Boulogne-sur-Mer,[3] although one 13th-century chronicler cites Baisy, a town in what is now Walloon Brabant, Belgium.[4] He was the second son[5] of Ida of Lorraine and Eustace II, Count of Boulogne, an important political figure at the time and a companion of William the Conqueror.[6] Eustace was rewarded extensive lands in England after the Battle of Hastings, making him one of the wealthiest landowners in the country.[7][8] Godfrey's mother, Ida of Lorraine, was the daughter of duke Godfrey III of Lower Lorraine[9] and a sister of duke Godfrey the Hunchback.[10] Ida was an educated woman who strongly influenced the upbringing of her sons.[8] It is most likely that Godfrey started his military training before the age of ten, learning how to ride a horse and use a sword, shield, lance, and crossbow while mounted.[3]

When Godfrey's uncle, Godfrey the Hunchback, died in February[11] of 1076 without issue, he designated his nephew as his heir.[12] The younger Godfrey probably had a bond with his uncle before this, and the contemporary chronicle of St Hubert[13] suggests that he attended his burial in Verdun.[14] Godfrey then spent several weeks at the monastery of St Hubert in the protection of his kinsman Henry of Verdun, bishop of Liège.[15][16] Lampert of Hersfeld records that at this time, Godfrey was "an energetic young man, very eager for military action".[17]

Battle for inheritance

Godfrey's inheritance was challenged by several claimants in the years following his uncle's death.[11][18] Henry IV, the future Holy Roman Emperor—wishing to strengthen his position—appointed his two-year-old son, Conrad, as the Duke of Lower Lorraine instead of Godfrey. Godfrey was instead given the Margraviate of Antwerp, held by his predecessors,[19] and his appointment to this title implied that Henry considered giving Godfrey Lower Lorraine in the future.[20][21] Conrad's title was merely symbolic; Henry installed Albert III of Namur, a loyal supporter of his, to rule the duchy as 'vice-duke'.[22]

Almost immediately, Godfrey entered a conflict with Albert, who claimed Bouillon Castle from him; it is recorded that Albert left the aforementioned dispute feeling unfulfilled. Albert proceeded to forge an alliance with Godfrey the Hunchback's widow, Matilda of Tuscany,[11] and Theoderic, the bishop of Verdun, to deprive Godfrey of his influence.[23] Matilda—who already had extensive lands in Northern Italy—sought her late husband's lands in Lotharingia,[24][11] while Theoderic wished to strengthen his influence in the diocese at Godfrey's expense.[23] Matilda enlisted support from Pope Gregory VII in this pursuit, who sent archbishop Manasses I of Reims to arbitrate. The pope likely instructed Manasses to find in Matilda's favour instead of mediating neutrally, and he obliged to win papal favour.[25][26] In around 1081, however, Theoderic renounced his alliance with Matilda in favour of Henry IV, who accused Matilda of treason and stripped her of her lands and property on both sides of the alps.[27]

In 1081-2, Godfrey entered a conflict with Count Theoderic of Veluwe, whom he captured and imprisoned in Bouillon Castle. Since Theoderic had a close relationship with Henry IV, Godfrey ordered that the former be treated well, but the count died after six months in captivity.[27][28] Theoderic's death enabled Godfrey to extend his influence around Bouillon. Later in 1082, Godfrey entered another conflict with Albert of Namur, who wished to restore Mirwart Castle and use it to wage war against Godfrey. Henry of Verdun—who "favoured Godfrey in all ways"—purchased the castle in order to prevent this[28] and transferred it to St Hubert.[27]

Godfrey supported Henry of Verdun's efforts to institute the Peace of God in his diocese, a movement already active in France to decrease endemic military activity by banning it during select times;[27] those who violated the Peace risked excommunication along with losing their inheritance and belongings.[29] Henry probably wanted to institute the Peace to alleviate the tensions caused by Godfrey the Hunchback's death. Henry became the first German bishop to institute the Peace during an assembly held in Easter of 1082 (which Godfrey likely attended), and in 1085, it was instituted throughout the entire Empire.[29]

Godfrey supported Henry even during his struggle with Pope Gregory VII during the Investiture Controversy. Godfrey fought alongside Henry and his forces against Rudolf of Swabia and in Italy when Henry captured Rome itself. A major test of Godfrey's leadership skills was shown in his battles to defend his inheritance against a significant array of enemies. In 1076, he had succeeded as designated heir to the Lotharingian lands of his uncle, Godfrey the Hunchback, and Godfrey was struggling to maintain control over the lands that Henry IV had not taken away from him. Claims were raised by his aunt Margravine Matilda of Tuscany, cousin Count Albert III of Namur, and Count Theoderic of Veluwe. This coalition was joined by Bishop Theoderic of Verdun, and two minor counts attempting to share in the spoils, Waleran I of Limburg and Arnold I of Chiny.

As these enemies tried to take away portions of his land, Godfrey's brothers, Eustace and Baldwin, both came to his aid. Following these long struggles and proving that he was a loyal vassal to Henry IV, Godfrey finally gained Lower Lorraine in 1087.

First Crusade

In 1095, Pope Urban II called for military action in order to liberate Jerusalem and aid the Byzantine Empire, which in the years since 1071 had lost large swathes of territory to the Seljuk Empire. Godfrey either sold or mortgaged most of his estates to the bishops of Liège and Verdun and used the money to recruit an army of Crusaders. He was joined by his older brother, Eustace, and his younger brother, Baldwin, who had no lands in Europe and was seeking them in the Holy Land. Others did the same, the largest being that raised by Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse, who at 55 was the oldest and most experienced of the Crusader nobles. As a result, he expected to lead the expedition, a claim boosted by the presence of Adhemar of Le Puy, the papal legate who travelled with him. Significant forces also accompanied Bohemond of Taranto, a Norman knight from southern Italy, and Robert II, Count of Flanders.[30]

Following advice provided by Pope Urban, most of these armies set out in mid-summer and headed for Constantinople where they could expect assistance from Emperor Alexios I Komnenos.[31] Each travelled separately, since it was impossible for one region to feed and supply such large numbers on their own; the first to leave in spring 1096 was what became known as the People's Crusade, an army of 20,000 low ranking knights and peasants which journeyed through the Rhineland, then headed for Hungary.[32] Most of those from southern and northern France sailed from Brindisi across the Adriatic Sea, while Godfrey and his two brothers, leading an army from Lorraine reportedly 40,000 strong, set out in August 1096 following the route taken by the People's Crusade.[33]

Pope Urban II's call for the crusade spurred a wave of violence against Jews across Europe, beginning with Rouen in December 1095. In the spring and early summer of 1096, members of the People's Crusade plundered and massacred Jewish communities during the Rhineland massacres.[34]

After the People's Crusade entered Hungary in June, a series of incidents had culminated in a full-scale battle with their hosts and the deaths of over 10,000 Crusaders; as a result, when Godfrey and his troops approached the border in September, it took several days of negotiations before they were allowed in.[35] He finally reached Constantinople in November, shortly after those led by Hugh of Vermandois while others arrived over the next few months. Unlike the limited numbers he had anticipated, by May 1097, Alexios found himself with over 4,000 to 8,000 mounted knights and 25,000 to 55,000 infantry camped on his doorstep. This mattered because the two sides had different goals; Alexios simply wanted help in retaking Byzantine lands lost to the Seljuk Turks, while the Crusaders sought to liberate the Holy Land from the Muslims. When Alexios demanded an oath of loyalty, Godfrey and most of the Crusaders agreed to a modified version in which they promised to restore some lands to the Emperor, Raymond of Toulouse being a notable exception: he would just promise to do the Emperor no harm.[36]

Capture of Nicaea and Antioch

In February 1097, Godfrey and his army crossed the Bosporus Straits, where he was joined by Bohemond, Robert of Flanders and Hugh of Vermandois.[37] Accompanied by Byzantine soldiers, in early May the Crusaders invested Nicaea, a city close to Constantinople captured by the Turks in 1085. Godfrey and his troops played a minor role, with Bohemond successfully commanding much of the action but as the Crusaders were about to storm the city, they noticed the Byzantine flag flying from the top of the walls. Wanting to minimise damage to what was an important Byzantine city and suspecting the Crusaders would demand a heavy ransom for handing it over, Alexios had made a separate peace with the Turkish garrison. Although the majority of the Crusader leaders accepted Alexios' right to do so, it was an illustration of the level of mutual suspicion between the two sides.[38]

Godfrey continued to play a minor, yet significant, role in the battles against the Seljuks until the Crusaders finally reached Jerusalem in 1099. At Dorylaeum in July 1097, he helped relieve the vanguard at Dorylaeum which had been pinned down by a Turkish force under Kilij Arslan I, then sacked their camp. After this battle and during the trek through Asia Minor, some sources suggest that Godfrey was attacked by a bear and received a serious wound which incapacitated him for a time.[39]

Godfrey also took part in the Siege of Antioch, which began in October 1097 and did not surrender until June 1098 after long and bitter fighting. During the winter, the crusading army came close to starvation and many returned to Europe, while Alexios assumed all was lost at Antioch and failed to provide them with supplies as promised. When the city finally fell, Bohemond claimed it for himself and refused to hand it over to the Emperor citing the Emperor's failure to help the crusaders at Antioch as breaking the oath; after repulsing a Muslim force from Mosul led by Kerbogha, Antioch was secured.

March on Jerusalem

After this victory, the Crusaders were divided over their next course of action. The bishop of Le Puy had died at Antioch. Bohemond decided to remain behind in order to secure his new principality; and Godfrey's younger brother, Baldwin, also decided to stay in the north in the Crusader state he had established at Edessa. Most of the foot soldiers wanted to continue south to Jerusalem, but Raymond IV of Toulouse—who was by then the most powerful of the princes, having taken others into his employ, such as Tancred—hesitated to continue the march. After months of waiting, the common people on the crusade forced Raymond to march on to Jerusalem, and Godfrey quickly joined him. As they travelled south into Palestine, in place of the Seljuk Turks, the Crusaders instead encountered the armies of the Fatimids, who had taken Jerusalem in August 1098.

The siege of Jerusalem began when the Crusader army reached the city in June 1099 and built a wooden siege tower (from lumber provided by some Italian sailors who intentionally scrapped their ships) to get over the walls. The major attack took place on 14 and 15 July 1099. Godfrey and some of his knights were the first to take the walls and enter the city. After three years of fighting, the Crusaders' victory marked the consummation of their main goals—to recapture the Holy Land and, in particular, the city of Jerusalem and its holy sites, such as the Holy Sepulchre. Godfrey endowed the hospital in the Muristan after the First Crusade.

Kingdom of Jerusalem

Once the city was returned to Christian rule, some form of government had to be set up. On 22 July 1099, a council was held in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and after Raymond of Toulouse had refused the crown, Godfrey agreed to become ruler.[40] However, he preferred the title Advocate of the Holy Sepulchre to that of king, allegedly refusing to "wear a crown of gold where his Saviour had worn a crown of thorns.[41] Both the meaning and usage of his title is disputed.[42] Some of the original chroniclers used the more ambiguous term princeps, or his previous rank of duke. Later chroniclers who did not participate in the First Crusade suggest he took the title of rex, "king".[43]

During his short reign, Godfrey had to defend the new kingdom against the Fatimids of Egypt, who were defeated at the Battle of Ascalon in August.[44] He also faced opposition from Dagobert of Pisa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, who was allied with Tancred. Although the Latins came close to capturing Ascalon, Godfrey's attempts to prevent Raymond of Toulouse from securing the city for himself meant that the town remained in Muslim hands, destined to be a thorn in the new kingdom's side for years to come.

In 1100, Godfrey was unable to directly expand his new territories through conquest. However, his impressive victory in 1099 and his subsequent campaigning in 1100 meant that he was able to force Acre, Ascalon, Arsuf, Jaffa, and Caesarea to become tributaries. Meanwhile, the struggle with Dagobert continued, although the terms of the conflict are difficult to trace. Dagobert may well have envisaged turning Jerusalem into a fiefdom of the pope, but his full intentions are not clear. Much of the evidence for this comes from William of Tyre, whose account of these events is troublesome; it is only William who tells us that Dagobert forced Godfrey to concede Jerusalem and Jaffa, while other writers such as Albert of Aachen and Ralph of Caen suggest that both Dagobert and his ally Tancred had sworn an oath to Godfrey to accept only one of his brothers or blood relations as his successor. Whatever Dagobert's schemes, they were destined to come to naught. Being at Haifa at the time of Godfrey's death, he could do nothing to stop Godfrey's supporters, led by Warner of Grez, from seizing Jerusalem and demanding that Godfrey's brother Baldwin should succeed to the rule. Dagobert was subsequently forced to crown Baldwin as the first Latin king of Jerusalem on 25 December 1100.

Death

The Arab chronicler Ibn al-Qalanisi reported that "In this year [1099], Godfrey, lord of Jerusalem, appeared before the fortified port of 'Akkā [Acre] and made an assault upon it, but was struck by an arrow, which killed him".[45] While this claim is repeated in other Muslim sources, it does not appear in Christian chronicles; Albert of Aix and Ekkehard of Aura suggest Godfrey fell ill while visiting Caesarea in June 1100 and died in Jerusalem on 18 July.[46]

Suggestions he was poisoned are unlikely and it is more probable he died from a disease similar to typhoid. Godfrey never married.[47]

Legacy

According to William of Tyre, the later 12th-century chronicler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, Godfrey was "tall of stature, not extremely so, but still taller than the average man. He was strong beyond compare, with solidly-built limbs and a stalwart chest. His features were pleasing, his beard and hair of medium blond."[48]

As the first ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and one of those who had taken part in its capture, Godfrey was idealized in later accounts. He was depicted as the military leader of the crusade, a legislator who established the assizes of Jerusalem, and in the early 14th century was selected as one of the Nine Worthies, a pantheon of famous warriors thought to epitomise chivalric ideals.[49] In reality, Godfrey was only one of several leaders of the crusade, which also included Raymond IV of Toulouse, Bohemond of Taranto, Robert of Flanders, Stephen of Blois and Baldwin of Boulogne among others, along with papal legate Adhemar of Montiel, Bishop of Le Puy. Baldwin I of Jerusalem, Godfrey's younger brother, became the first titled king when he succeeded Godfrey in 1100. The assizes were the result of a gradual development.

Godfrey's role in the crusade was described by various authors, including Raymond of Aguilers and Albert of Aix, anonymous author of the Gesta Francorum. In fiction, he was the hero of the "Crusade cycle", a collection of French chansons de geste dealing with the First Crusade, which connected him to the legend of the Knight of the Swan,[50] most famous today as the storyline of Wagner's opera Lohengrin.

By William of Tyre's time later in the 12th century, Godfrey was already a legend among the descendants of the original crusaders. Godfrey was believed to have possessed immense physical strength; it was said that in Cilicia he wrestled a bear and won, and that he once beheaded a camel with one blow of his sword.[51]

Since the mid-19th century, an equestrian statue of Godfrey of Bouillon has stood in the centre of the Place Royale/Koningsplein in Brussels, Belgium. It was made by Eugène Simonis, and inaugurated on 24 August 1848.

Godfrey is a key figure in the pseudohistorical theories put forth in the books The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail and The Da Vinci Code.

In 2005, Godfrey came in 17th place in the French language Le plus grand Belge, a public vote of national heroes in Belgium. He did not make the 100 greatest Belgians, as voted by the Dutch speakers in De Grootste Belg (the Greatest Belgian).

Literature and music

  • In the Paradiso segment of his Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri sees the spirit of Godfrey, together with Roland's, in the Heaven of Mars with the other "warriors of the faith".
  • Pierre Desrey's Genealogie de Godefroi de Buillon, completed in 1499, gives a complete history of the Crusades, starting with the birth of the Chevalier au Cygne (Knight of the Swan), the ancestor of Godfrey, and ending after the accession of Philip IV of France (1268–1314). At least six editions are preserved from the 16th century, published between 1504 and 1580.[52][53]
  • Torquato Tasso made Godfrey, as "Goffredo di Buglione", the hero of his epic poem Jerusalem Delivered.
  • A Spanish play entitled "La conquista de Jerusalén por Godofre de Bullón" was written in the mid-1580s and known to have been performed in 1586. The play was discovered in the late 1980s by Stefano Arata. It is attributed to and is now widely accepted to have been written by Miguel de Cervantes. It is an adaptation of Tasso's poem and features Godfrey as an ideal of Christian kingship, possibly as a critical parallel to King Philip II of Spain (1556–98).
  • Godfrey is depicted in Georg Friedrich Händel's opera Rinaldo (1711) as Tasso's "Goffredo".
  • Godfrey also plays key roles in the following novels:
    • The Blue Gonfalon by Margaret Ann Hubbard, which follows Godfrey and his men on their journey to the Holy Land. It is told through the eyes of Bennet, Godfrey's squire.
    • The Iron Lance by Stephen R. Lawhead
    • Godfrey de Bouillon, Defender of the Holy Sepulchre, by Tom Tozer.
  • Godfrey's sword is given satirical mention in Mark Twain's The Innocents Abroad (1869).

Genealogical table

  • Godfrey's relation to the rulers of Lorraine, Boulogne, Tuscany, and Rome[54]
  • Godfrey I of Verdun
  • Godfrey II of Lower Lorraine — Gothelo I of Lower Lorraine
  • Beatrice of Upper Lorraine — Godfrey III of Lower Lorraine — Doda — Gothelo II of Lower Lorraine — Pope Stephen IX — Regelinda
  • Matilda of Tuscany — Godfrey IV of Lower Lorraine — Ida of Lorraine — Eustace II of Boulogne — Albert III of Namur
  • Eustace III of Boulogne — Godfrey of Bouillon — Baldwin I of Jerusalem

From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia

Godfrey of Bouillon — Duke of Lower Lorraine and first King of Jerusalem, son of Eustache II, Count of Boulogne, and of Ida, daughter of Godfrey the Bearded, Duke of Lower Lorraine; b. probably at Boulogne-sur-Mer, 1060; d. at Jerusalem, 18 July, 1100 (according to a thirteenth-century chronicler, he was born at Baisy, in Brabant; see Haigneré, Mémoires lus à la Sorbonne, Paris, 1868, 213). The history of his early years has been distorted by legend, according to which he slew with his own hand the anti-king Rodolphe at the battle of Moelsen (1080), and was first to enter Rome after it had been besieged by Henry IV (1084). What appears certain is that he was chosen to succeed his uncle Godfrey the Hunchback, Duke of Lower Lorraine, who was assassinated in 1076. But Henry IV took Lorraine, leaving to Godfrey only the marquessate of Antwerp. As a vassal of the German Empire Godfrey took sides with the army of Henry IV in the War of the Investitures and followed the emperor on his expedition to Italy against Gregory VII (1080-1084). In the interval he was compelled to return in order to defend his possessions which had been attacked by the Count of Namur, and about 1089 Henry IV restored to him the legacy of Godfrey the Hunchback by creating him Duke of Lower Lorraine. The new duke's authority was extremely weak when opposed to the feudal power which had developed in the vicinity. At this time the whole north of France was aroused by the letter of Urban II, who besought the nobility of Flanders to go on the Crusade. Godfrey was among the first to take the cross, together with his two brothers, Eustache and Baldwin (1096). To procure resources he sold or pledged many of his estates. Many nobles at once arrayed themselves under his banner, and about 15 August, 1096, he departed at the head of 10,000 knights and 30,000 foot soldiers. His army was composed of Walloons and Flemings. "Born at the frontier of the two nations and himself speaking both languages", he served as the link between them, and by his authority appeased the quarrels provoked by their national self-esteem (Otto of Freisingen, Mon. Germ. Hist.: Script., XX, 250).

The crusaders reached the valley of the Danube and in September, 1096, arrived at Tollenburch (Tulin, west of Vienna), on the frontier of Hungary, where they learned of the disaster that had befallen the followers of Peter the Hermit. Before entering Hungary Godfrey negotiated with King Coloman for a free passage through his dominions. He himself met the king, who welcomed him warmly, but took Godfrey's brother Baldwin as a hostage, together with his wife. During the march through Hungary (October, 1096) the strictest disciplines prevailed among the crusaders, to whom the inhabitants furnished provisions in abundance. After crossing the Save, the army entered the territory of the Byzantine Empire. At Belgrade Godfrey received a letter from the Emperor Alexius I (Comnenus), promising him assistance if the crusaders would refrain from violence. At Nish and at Sterniz (Sofia), they found abundant provisions and presents from the emperor. After a halt of eight days at Philippopolis (26 Nov.-3 Dec.) the army approached Adrianople (8 December) and marched towards the Hellespont. Here occurred the first conflict between the crusaders and the imperial government. According to Albert of Aix, Godfrey, learning that the emperor held in captivity Hugues, a prince of France, demanded the latter's freedom, and on the emperor's refusal pillaged the neighborhood of Salabria (Selymbria). As a matter of fact, the French prince was not a prisoner, but Godfrey and his army arrived before Constantinople (23 Dec., 1096) in a hostile mood, and closely watched by the imperial troops. Warned against the emperor, Godfrey kept away from the imperial palace.

However, during the Christmas festivities, he consented to cross the Golden Horn, and went into camp at Pera (29 Dec.). The chief desire of Alexius was to prevent the junction of Godfrey's army with that of Bohemond, leader of the Normans of Italy; Alexius had hoped to induce Godfrey to swear fealty to him and then to remove his army to Asia. Throughout the winter Godfrey resisted the imperial demands. At last, 2 April, 1097 (the date given by Anna Comnena is preferable to 13 January given by Albert of Aix; see Chalandon, "Alexis Comnène", 179), on the approach of Bohemond, the emperor decided to act, and cut off the supplies of the crusaders. Several combats ensued, and, despite the contrary assertion of Albert of Aix, Godfrey must have been defeated. Anna Comnena states that he then consented to do homage to the emperor, promising to restore him any former imperial possessions which he might wrest from the infidels. Some days later the Lorraine army was conveyed to Pelekan on the Gulf of Nicomedia, and at the end of April all the leaders of the crusade were reunited. Godfrey appears to have acted as peacemaker, and he induced Raymond IV, of St-Gilles, Count of Toulouse, to swear fealty to the emperor. Far from directing the crusade, he appears to have taken an obscure part in the siege of Nicæa and the battle of Dorylæum (1 July, 1097).

During the crossing of Asia Minor he was seriously wounded while hunting. At the siege of Antioch he consented to obey the orders of Bohemond, and after the capture of the city he had to give up the castle which his followers had taken (July, 1098). On the way to Jerusalem. while others quarrelled, Godfrey marched towards Edessa, where his brother, Baldwin, had just established himself. He returned from this expedition in October, 1098, and before entering Antioch, with only twelve knights, put to flight one hundred and fifty Turks. According to the tradition repeated by Guibert de Nogent (Gesta, VII, 11), he had, with a stroke of the sword, hewn a Turkish horseman through the middle so that his body fell in two equal halves. Having returned to Antioch, he took part, together with Robert Courte-Heuse, Duke of Normandy, in the council of arbitration assembled to reconcile Bohemond and Raymond of St-Gilles. After 23 November, 1098, a number of the crusaders left Antioch with Raymond, but Godfrey of Bouillon and Robert, Count of Flanders, began to march on Jerusalem only at the end of February, 1099. After besieging Gibel they rejoined the main army before Arka (12 March), were at Tripoli (13 May), Beirut (19 May), Cæsarea (30 May), and reached Jerusalem on 7 June.

Godfrey and his army took an active part in the siege of the Holy City. His camp was pitched to the westward. On 15 July, 1099, about nine in the morning, Godfrey and his brother Eustache placed a movable tower against the walls and were the first to enter the city. During the ensuing massacre of Mussulmans, Godfrey, thinking only of his vow, stripped himself of his arms, and, barefooted and in his under-garments, made the rounds of the ramparts, and then went to pray at the Holy Sepulchre. The crusaders were soon intent on providing a new king for the conquest. Several bishops offered the crown to Raymond of St-Gilles, who refused, declaring "that the title of king seemed to him out of place in that city" (Raimond de Aguilers, Histor. Occid. des Crois., III, 301). Robert Courte-Heuse being urged declined in like manner. All refused to accept the burden which the new royalty must prove. Finally, Godfrey, being unanimously elected, accepted "for the love of Christ" (22 July). According to the chronicles of those times, he refused to wear the crown "through respect for Him who had been crowned in that place with the Crown of Thorns". Indeed, he seems never to have borne the title of king (which only appears under his successor), and to have been content with that of Duke and Advocate of the Holy Sepulchre.

It may be that he acted in this manner through respect for the clergy, who regarded the new conquest as the property of all Christendom, and some of whom were averse to the election of a king (Raimond de Aguilers, Hist. Occid. Crois., III, 295). Godfrey seems to have always considered himself the protector of the Church. Not only did he make so many donations that William of Tyre despairs of enumerating them, not only did he cede a fourth of Jaffa (Joppa), the city of Jerusalem, and the tower of David to the patriarch Daimbert, but he consented, as did Bohemond, to receive investiture from the patriarch (William of Tyre, Historia, IX, XV). Godfrey displayed great energy in meeting the many difficulties which threatened the new State, but he was destined to succumb to sickness. On 12 August, 1099, having rallied the crusading forces, he gained a victory at Ascalon, thus preserving Palestine from Egyptian invasion.

Assisted by the Pisans, he rebuilt the city of Jaffa, which became a port of arrival for crusaders. He signed a treaty of alliance with the Venetian fleet, agreeing to besiege Acre, but was attacked by the plague at Cæsarea, 10 June. After a short stay at the hospital which he had founded at Jaffa, he returned to Jerusalem, where he died on 18 July, having named his brother Baldwin as his successor. He was buried in the church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The tomb of Godfrey was destroyed in 1808, but at that time a large sword, said to have been his, was still shown. Legend soon laid claim to him; in the contemporary accounts of the First Crusade (Gesta Francorum, Raimond de Aguilers, Foucher de Chartres, Anna Comnena, etc.), he is portrayed as the perfect type of a Christian knight. Tall of stature, with pleasing countenance, and with so courteous a manner "that he seemed more a monk than a knight" (Robert the Monk, Hist. Occid. Crois., III, 731), in the hour of danger he showed admirable courage. As a zealous Christian, he was among the first to take the cross, accomplished his vow without the slightest deviation, and at great personal cost accepted the defence of the new conquest. Such is Godfrey as he appears in actual history. In the chronicle of Albert of Aix (d. 1120, edit. Hist. Occid. Crois., IV), the author already exhibits a tendency to put the figure of Godfrey in the foreground and to attribute to him, to a certain extent, the direction of the crusade. Albert of Aix and Guibert de Nogent attribute to Godfrey exploits of an epic character (Guibert de Nogent, Gesta, VII, 11). When, in the thirteenth century, Jean d'Ibelin and Philip of Novara edited the "Assises" of Jerusalem, they referred to Godfrey as a law-making king, and attributed to him a code, the "Letters of the Holy Sepulchre", which never existed. Indeed, at that time, and perhaps as early as the twelfth century, Godfrey of Bouillon had become, like Roland and Arthur, a hero of the chansons de geste. The trouvères provided him with a mythical origin, making him a descendant of the legendary "King of the Swan", whose feats he is made to repeat, and, after relating the events of his childhood, continued his adventures to the taking of Jerusalem. Under Philip Augustus, Graindor of Douai reconstructed the works of a certain Richard the Pilgrim, and composed a complete history of this crusade: (1) "Elioxe", ed. Todd (Baltimore, 1889); (2) "Beatrix", ed. Hippeau (Paris, 1868); (3) "Antioche", ed. P. Paris (Paris, 1848); (4) "Jérusalem", ed. Hippeau (Paris, 1868); see L. Gautier, "Bibliographie des chansons de gestes" (Paris, 1897). In the fourteenth century, all these poems were collected under the title of "Roman du chevalier au Cygne" (ed. de Reiffenberg, Brussels, 1846-59).

BREYSIG, Gottfried von Bouillon vor dem Kreuzzüge in Westdeutsche Zeitschrift für Geschichte und Kunst, XVII; HAGENMEYER, Chronologie de la première croisade (Paris, 1902); IDEM, Epistulæ et chartæ ad historiam primi belli sacri pertinentes (Innsbruck, 1901); PIRENNE, Histoire de Belgique (Brussels, 1901), I; VÉTAULT, Godefroy de Bouillon (Tours, 1874); BEYER, Vita Godefridi Bullionis (Marburg, 1874); CHALANDON, Essai sur le règne d'Alexis Comnène (Paris, 1900); DODU, Histoire des institutions monarchiques dans le royaume latin de Jérusalem (Paris, 1894); CONDER, The Kingdom of Jerusalem (London, 1897); RÖHRICHT, Geschichte des Königreichs Jerusalem (Innsbruck, 1898); PIGEONNEAU, Le cycle de la croisade et la famille de Bouillon (Paris, 1877).

References

  1. Back to citation (French: Godefroy; Dutch: Godfried; German: Gottfried; Latin: Godefridus Bullionensis; Greek: Ὁφριου δὲ Ποιλιποῦν)
  2. Back to citation Ibrahim, Raymond (2022). "Duke Godfrey: Defender of Christ's Sepulchre". Defenders of the West. New York: Bombardier Books. p. 48. ISBN 9781642938203. “God forbid", said he, "that I should be crowned with a crown of gold, where my Saviour bore a crown of thorns.”; Murray 2000, pp. 70–77; Rubenstein 2008, pp. 61–62.
  3. Back to citation occurrence 3.0 Back to citation occurrence 3.1 John 2017, p. 56.
  4. Back to citation Andressohn 1947, p. 95.
  5. Back to citation The genealogy of the counts of Boulogne does not specify the ages of Eustace's sons, but the order in which they were listed was presumably the birth order: Eustace, then Godfrey, then Baldwin. John 2017, p. 56.
  6. Back to citation John 2017, pp. 38–40.
  7. Back to citation John 2017, p. 41.
  8. Back to citation occurrence 8.0 Back to citation occurrence 8.1 Edgington 2019, p. 1.
  9. Back to citation Butler & Burns 2000, p. 93.
  10. Back to citation John 2017, pp. 21–22.
  11. Back to citation occurrence 11.0 Back to citation occurrence 11.1 Back to citation occurrence 11.2 Back to citation occurrence 11.3 John 2017, p. 64.
  12. Back to citation John 2017, p. 57; Brundage 1962, pp. 70–73; Edgington 2019, p. 2.
  13. Back to citation Also known as the Cantatorium
  14. Back to citation Andressohn 1947, p. 28.
  15. Back to citation John 2017, p. 58.
  16. Back to citation Andressohn 1947, pp. 28–30.
  17. Back to citation John 2017, p. 57.
  18. Back to citation Edgington 2019, p. 2.
  19. Back to citation John 2017, pp. 59–60.
  20. Back to citation John 2017, p. 61.
  21. Back to citation Andressohn 1947, p. 33.
  22. Back to citation John 2017, p. 62.
  23. Back to citation occurrence 23.0 Back to citation occurrence 23.1 John 2017, p. 65.
  24. Back to citation Andressohn 1947, p. 34.
  25. Back to citation John 2017, pp. 65–66.
  26. Back to citation Andressohn 1947, pp. 34–35.
  27. Back to citation occurrence 27.0 Back to citation occurrence 27.1 Back to citation occurrence 27.2 Back to citation occurrence 27.3 John 2017, p. 66.
  28. Back to citation occurrence 28.0 Back to citation occurrence 28.1 Andressohn 1947, p. 38.
  29. Back to citation occurrence 29.0 Back to citation occurrence 29.1 John 2017, p. 67.
  30. Back to citation Asbridge 2004, pp. 92–93.
  31. Back to citation Asbridge 2004, p. 90.
  32. Back to citation Asbridge 2004, pp. 84–85.
  33. Back to citation Asbridge 2004, pp. 94–95.
  34. Back to citation Asbridge 2004, p. 84.
  35. Back to citation Asbridge 2004, p. 95.
  36. Back to citation Asbridge 2004, pp. 109–111; John 2017, p. 201.
  37. Back to citation Asbridge 2004, p. 118.
  38. Back to citation Asbridge 2004, pp. 128–130.
  39. Back to citation Natasha Hodgson 'Lions, Tigers and Bears: encounters with wild animals and bestial imagery in the context of crusading to the Latin East' Viator (2013)
  40. Back to citation Asbridge 2004, p. 321.
  41. Back to citation Porter 2013, p. 18.
  42. Back to citation Rubenstein 2008, pp. 61–62.
  43. Back to citation Riley-Smith 1979, pp. 83–86; Murray 1990, pp. 163–178; France 1983, pp. 321–329.
  44. Back to citation Asbridge 2004, p. 325.
  45. Back to citation Ibn al-Qalanisi 1932, p. 51.
  46. Back to citation Asbridge 2004, pp. 117–118.
  47. Back to citation Marjorie Chibnall (Select Documents of the English Lands of the Abbey of Bec, Camden (3rd Ser.) 73 (1951) pp. 25–26) followed earlier writers in suggesting that since the names Godfrey and Geoffrey shared a common origin, Godfrey is identical to the Geoffrey of Boulogne who appears in English records, marrying Beatrice, daughter of Geoffrey de Mandeville and that he left behind in England a son, William de Boulogne (adult by 1106, died c. 1169). However, Alan Murray analyzed the argument in detail and concluded that contemporary documents clearly distinguish between the two names, and as there is no evidence for their identity and traditions of the Crusade indicate Godfrey was unmarried and childless, the two must be considered to have been distinct. Geoffrey, the English landholder, was apparently an illegitimate brother of Godfrey, the Crusader. Murray 2000, pp. 155–165.
  48. Back to citation Asbridge 2004, p. 61.
  49. Back to citation John 2022, pp. 80–81.
  50. Back to citation Holböck 2002, p. 147.
  51. Back to citation Grousset 1970, p. 12.
  52. Back to citation Weill, Isabelle; Suard, François. "Genealogie de Godefroi de Buillon de Pierre Desrey" (in French). Università degli Studi di Milano. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-12-22.
  53. Back to citation Pierre Desrey; Vincent de Beauvais (1511), La genealogie avecques les gestes et nobles faitz darmes du trespreux et renommé prince Godeffroy de Boulion et de ses chevaleureux frères Baudouin et Eustace (in French), Michel Le Noir
  54. Back to citation John 2017, Figure 0.1.

Bibliography

Further reading

Primary sources

  • Albert of Aachen (fl. 1100), Historia Ierosolimitana, History of the Journey to Jerusalem, ed. and tr. Susan B. Edgington. Oxford: Oxford Medieval Texts, 2007. The principal source for Godfrey's march to Jerusalem.
  • Gesta Francorum, ed. and tr. Rosalind Hill, Gesta Francorum et aliorum Hierosolimitanorum. Oxford, 1967.
  • Ralph of Caen, Gesta Tancredi, ed. Bernard S. Bachrach and David S. Bachrach, The Gesta Tancredi of Ralph of Caen: A History of the Normans on the First Crusade. Ashgate Publishing, 2005.
  • Fulcher of Chartres, Chronicle, ed. Harold S. Fink and tr. Francis Rita Ryan, Fulcher of Chartres, A History of the Expedition to Jerusalem, 1095–1127. Knoxville: Univ. of Tennessy Press, 1969.
  • Raymond of Aguilers, Historia Francorum qui ceperunt Iherusalem, tr. John Hugh Hill and Laurita L. Hill. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1968.
  • Ekkehard of Aura (d. 1126), tr. W. Pflüger, Die Chronik des Ekkehard von Aura. Leipzig, 1893.
  • William of Tyre (d. 1186), Historia, ed. R. B. C. Huygens, Willemi Tyrensis Archiepiscopi Chronicon. Corpus Christianorum Continuatio Medievalis 38. Turnholt: Brepols, 1986; tr. E. A. Babcock and A. C. Krey, William of Tyre, A History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea. Columbia University Press, 1943.
  • Comnena, Anna (1928). Alexiad. Medieval Sourcebook. Translated by Elizabeth S. Dawes. Fordham University.
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