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Godfrey of Bouillon

Encyclopedia of World Biography | 2004 | Copyright

Godfrey of Bouillon

The French crusader Godfrey of Bouillon (ca. 1060-1100) was one of the chief lay leaders of the First Crusade and the first ruler of the newly formed state of Jerusalem.

Godfrey was the second son of Eustace II, Count of Boulogne, and Ida, daughter of Godfrey II, Duke of Lower Lorraine. After years of delay Emperor Henry IV finally confirmed him in the duchy of Lower Lorraine. When he and his brothers, Eustace and Baldwin, joined the First Crusade, Godfrey was nevertheless obliged to pledge his castle in Bouillon, as well as the lordship of Verdun, to the bishop of Liège, presumably to help finance the expedition.

The crusaders reached Constantinople shortly before Christmas, 1096. For several months there were promises and betrayals and armed skirmishes with the Byzantine troops. Finally the whole force of crusaders, now swelled by the Norman contingent and Bohemund's army, crossed the Bosporus and set out for Nicaea. When Jerusalem was captured in July 1099, the higher clergy and the greater barons offered the crown to Godfrey, having failed to convince Count Raymond to take it. Godfrey accepted the leadership but claimed instead the title of Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri (Defender of the Holy Sepulcher). This made him lay warrantor of the newly won lands, allowing the Church to preserve, initially, its own interests. The ecclesiastical claims to Jerusalem and its dependent towns were advanced by the forceful Daimbert, Archbishop of Pisa, who, backed by Bohemund, became patriarch a short time later. Godfrey, who in reality had little effective power, took an oath of homage to Daimbert and managed to retain control of his small state until his death on July 18, 1100, near Tiberias. According to Moslem sources, he was killed in battle.

Godfrey was the first Western ruler in Jerusalem, and this undoubtedly helped form the legend in later literature in which he was transformed into the model for the valorous Christian knight, the Chevalier au Cygne (Swan Knight). Dante, in the Divine Comedy, places him with the warrior-saints in Paradise. There is, however, no reliable evidence for his unusual piety or for his extraordinary chivalric qualities. His chief accomplishment remains the establishment of a workable feudal administration in Jerusalem based on customary fief holding and oaths of loyalty. That he was able to do this in the face of overt and continual hostility from friends and enemies says much about the character of the man.

Godfrey of Bouillon

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

Godfrey of Bouillon , c.1058–1100, Crusader, duke of Lower Lorraine. He fought for Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV against Pope Gregory VII and against Rudolf of Swabia and was rewarded (c.1082) with the duchy of Lower Lorraine, which he claimed through his mother. With his brothers Eustace and Baldwin, he was among those who set out (1096) for Jerusalem on the First Crusade. On the way to Constantinople, he allowed his army to pillage the countryside, but after his arrival he made peace (Jan., 1097) with the Byzantine emperor, Alexius I . He played a minor role at Nicaea and Antioch, but achieved prominence in the siege of Jerusalem (1099) and was elected ruler of the city after its capture. Having refused the title of king on religious grounds, he was designated defender of the Holy Sepulcher. He won the battle of Ascalon (1099) and brought several Syrian towns under tribute. Godfrey was distinguished for his piety and simplicity. As the first Latin ruler of Jerusalem, he became the central figure of various legends, and his deeds were glorified in the chansons de geste . His brother, Baldwin I, succeeded him as ruler of Jerusalem and took the title king.

Bibliography: See J. C. Andressohn, The Ancestry and Life of Godfrey of Bouillon (1972).

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Godfrey of Bouillon

A Dictionary of World History | 2000 | Copyright

Godfrey of Bouillon (or Godefroi de Bouillon) (c.1060–1100) French Crusader and ruler of JERUSALEM. He was a prominent leader of the First CRUSADE and financed a large part of the expeditionary force. Having distinguished himself at the siege of Jerusalem, he was elected Advocate of the Holy Sepulchre - in effect, king - a position which his brother, BALDWIN I, was to assume on his death. His victories against the Muslims confirmed the Crusaders' hold on Palestine and were celebrated in the medieval song cycle, the Chansons de Geste.

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"Godfrey of Bouillon." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Godfrey of Bouillon

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church | 2000 | | Copyright

Godfrey of Bouillon (d. 1100), Crusader. A member of the family of the counts of Bologne and duke of Lower Lorraine, he set off on the First Crusade in 1096 and led the assault which captured Jerusalem in 1099. He was elected first Christian ruler of the city. He was one of several important princes on the Crusade, but has been depicted as its hero.

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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Godfrey of Bouillon." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Godfrey of Bouillon." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-GodfreyofBouillon.html

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Godfrey of Bouillon." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-GodfreyofBouillon.html

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Godfrey of Bouillon

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | 2006 | | Copyright

Godfrey of Bouillon (d. 1100), duke of lower Lorraine and leader of the First Crusade in which Jerusalem was captured; he is often taken as the type of a Christian knight and war-leader, and is traditionally one of the Nine Worthies.

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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Godfrey of Bouillon." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Godfrey of Bouillon." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-GodfreyofBouillon.html

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Godfrey of Bouillon." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-GodfreyofBouillon.html

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Godfrey of Bouillon

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

Godfrey of Bouillon see Godfrey of Bouillon .

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"Godfrey of Bouillon." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Godfrey of Bouillon

The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature | 2003 | | Copyright

Godfrey of Bouillon, see Bouillon, Godefroi de.

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MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Godfrey of Bouillon." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Godfrey of Bouillon." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-GodfreyofBouillon.html

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Godfrey of Bouillon." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-GodfreyofBouillon.html

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