Godfrey of Boullion

Duke of Lower Lorraine who became the Defender of the Holy Sepulchre, son of Eustache II, Count of Boulogne, and of Ida, daughter of Godfrey the Bearded, Duke of Lower Lorraine; believed to have been born at Boulogne-sur-Mer in 1060 and died in Jerusalem, on July 18, 1100.

He participated in several conflicts, mainly defending his territory, feuds between nearby lords where the thing of the day, until Pope Urban II, Proclaimed his speech at the Council of Clermont in 1095, urging every able knight and soldier to defend the Holy Land.

Godfrey was among the first to take the cross, together with his two brothers, Eustache and Baldwin. Many nobles arrayed themselves under his banner, he gathered a force of 40,000 fighting men, and on August 15,1096 he departed at the head of his army, to procure resources he sold or pledged many of his estates.
When Godfrey and his army arrived before Constantinople on December 23, 1096, the mood was hostile, warned against the emperor, Godfrey kept away from the imperial palace but closely watched by the imperial troops.

However, during Christmas, he consented to cross the Golden Horn, and went into camp at Pera. The chief desire of Emperor Alexius was to prevent the junction of Godfrey's army with that of his rival Bohemond, leader of the Normans of Italy; Alexius had hoped to induce Godfrey to swear fealty to him and then to send his army to Asia. Throughout the winter Godfrey resisted the imperial demands.

At last, 2 April, 1097 upon the approach of Bohemond, the emperor decided to act, and cut off the supplies to the crusaders. Several combats took place, so finally, Godfrey, consented to pay homage to the emperor, promising to restore any former imperial possessions which he might recover 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 pleaded to Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse, to swear fealty to the emperor. Soon came the victories at the battles of Nicaea and Dorylaeum.

At Nicaea, Emperor Alexios secretly negotiated the rendition of the city from the unaware crusader army, further increasing the crusder’s resentment. At Dorylaeum, the crusader victory was so overwhelming that they hardly met any resistance until reaching Antioch. Once, the Crusader army finally arrived at Antioch, an unyielding and protracted siege, ensued. The siege when on through the winter and spring, until July,1098, thousands died of starvation, disease or battle, during this time the crusader army requested aid from Emperor Alexios I, at no avail, this situation caused many to give up and return home, at one point Emperor Alexios I sent a relieve force, that met Stephen II, Count of Blois abandoning the siege and returning home, and upon informing the imperial forces of the situation, and considering Antioch a lost cause, the imperial relieve left the crusaders to their fate.

Against all odds, the crusader army took Antioch. Godfrey had consented to give up the castle to Bohemond, after the capture of the city he had which his followers had taken. On February 1098, they began to march to Jerusalem and reached the Holy city on June 7th.

Finally, Godfrey and his army joined Raymond IV, of Toulouse and Robert Count of Flanders, and took an active part in the siege. His camp was pitched to the westward side of the city, and on July 15th, 1099, at 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, 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 IV of Toulouse, who refused, declaring "That the title of king seemed to him out of place in that city", 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" on July, 22. However, According to the earliest chronicles he refused the title of king and refused to wear a crown citing "I will not wear a crown of gold were my Lord wore a crown of thorns”. Indeed, he seems never to have borne the title of king, which only appears for his successor but only that of Advocate of the Holy Sepulchre.

On 12 August, 1099, having rallied the crusading forces, he gained victory in the last battle of the First Crusade at Ascalon, thus preventing an Egyptian invasion.

Size guide