in Boulogne-sur-Mer , France, Died on July 18, 1100 Baldwin I of Jerusalem, Godfrey's younger brother, became the first titled king when he succeeded Godfrey in 1100. Tensions grew so strained that they came to violence; but ultimately Godfrey took the oath, though he harbored serious reservations and not a little resentment. Godfrey of Bouillon was born in about 1060 C.E. 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. He was the second son of Eustace II, Count of Boulogne, and Ida of Lorraine (daughter of Godfrey III, Duke of Lower Lorraine and his wife, Doda). The concept is completely foreign to the period, save, perhaps, among the Welsh and would, in any case, hardly apply to a marriage of 'Godfrey/Geoffrey' with Beatrice de Mandeville, of a family whose status was fully comparable to his own. Godfrey now lacked support and guidance in governing the city, and the arrival of papal legate Daimbert, archbishop of Pisa, complicated matters. 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. After months of waiting, the common people on the crusade forced Raymond to march on to Jerusalem, and Godfrey quickly joined him. Godfrey was a son of Eustace II of Boulogne and Ida of Lorraine. The major attack took place on July 14 and 15, 1099. This mattered because the two sides had different goals; Alexius simply wanted help in retaking Byzantine lands lost to the Seljuk Turks, while the Crusaders sought to "liberate" the Holy Land from "infidels" [a] and establish themselves as rulers. Aafje Jans Punt was born about 1737 in Lagedijk, Schagen, Noord-Holland, Nederland. L. Brhier, "Godfrey of Bouillon" in, Natasha Hodgson 'Lions, Tigers and Bears: encounters with wild animals and bestial imagery in the context of crusading to the Latin East', "Genealogie de Godefroi de Buillon de Pierre Desrey", "The Army of Godfrey of Bouillon, 10961099: Structure and Dynamics of a Contingent on the First Crusade" (PDF), Historia Francorum qui ceperunt Iherusalem, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Godfrey_of_Bouillon&oldid=1142261833. 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. What M. Vaillant should have written was that there was no Godfrey among them. In defiance of Patriarch Daibert, Godefroi's household, under the leadership of his kinsman Warner de Grez [Gray], assured the succession of his brother Baudouin by seizing the citadel of Jerusalem. This book offers a new appraisal of the ancestry and career of Godfrey of Bouillon (c.1060-1100), a leading participant in the First Crusade (1096-99), and the first ruler of Latin Jerusalem (1099-1100), the polity established by the crusaders after they captured the Holy City. Godfrey of Bouillon (c. 1060 - 18 July 1100) was a medieval Frankish knight who was one of the leaders of the First Crusade from 1096 until his death. wikipedia. Henri de La Tour dAuvergne, vicomte de Turenne, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Godfrey-of-Bouillon, The Catholic encyclopedia - Biography of Godfrey of Bouillon, How Stuff Works - History - Biography of Godfrey of Bouillon. Geoffrey Of Boulogne, illegitimate son, born say 1060. Despite Godfreys weakness as a ruler, the tall, handsome, and fair-haired descendant of Charlemagne was later idolized in legend and songs as the perfect Christian knight, the peerless hero of the whole crusading epic.. [14] After being notified of this threat by the Jewish leader in Mainz, Emperor Henry prohibited Godfrey from carrying it out. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Despite Godefroi's depleted military resources following the departure of most of the surviving crusaders, plans to expand his territory were in full swing with the siege of Acre when Godefroi died. However, in an article published a year later, on Faramus, grandson of "Goisfrid', Round makes no mention of this identification. Some time following Pope Urban II's call to liberate Jerusalem at the Council of Clermont in Auvergne 27 Nov 1095, Godefroi resolved to join the crusade. Godfrey Of Bouillon Born in 1060 - Baisy-Thy, Brussels, Belgium Deceased 18 July 1100 - Jerusalem, Israel,aged 40 years old Parents Count Eustace II Of Boulogne 1015-1093 Ida Of Lorraine 1040-1113 Siblings Count Eustace III Of Boulogne 1058-ca 1125 King Baldwin I Of Jerusalem 1065- Ida Of Boulogne 1068-1131 Notes Individual Note Godfrey of Bouillon Godfrey served Henry IV loyally, supporting him even when Pope Gregory VII was battling the German king in the Investiture Controversy. Godfrey of Bouillon ( French: Godefroy, Dutch: Godfried, German: Gottfried, Latin: Godefridus Bullionensis; 18 September 1060 - 18 July 1100) was a French nobleman and one of the pre-eminent leaders of the First Crusade. It was in Jerusalem that the legend of Godfrey of Bouillon was born. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/godfrey-of-bouillon-1788906. kelebogile Mhlongo . Eidelberg, Schlomo (1996). B > Boulogne | F > FitzEustace > Godfried (Boulogne) FitzEustace, Categories: Medieval Project, France, needs biography | First Crusade, WIKITREE HOME | ABOUT | G2G FORUM | HELP | SEARCH. He was strong beyond compare, with solidly-built limbs and a stalwart chest. The bishop of Le Puy had died at Antioch. "Godfrey of Bouillon". 63 ratings rating ratings . Godfrey, along with his two brothers, started in August 1096 at the head of an army from Lorraine (some say 40,000 strong) along "Charlemagne's road", as Urban II seems to have called it (according to the chronicler Robert the Monk)the road to Jerusalem. Suddenly the Byzantine emperor had an army of about 4000 mounted knights and 25,000 infantry camped on his doorstep. I think the SGM discussions which are influencing this article went in another direction? Theoderic Bishop of Verdun seized the opportunity to end the hereditary succession in the county of Verdun by bestowing it on Matilda Ctss of Tuscany, who granted it to Albert III Comte de Namur as guardian of her interests in Lotharingia. He was most often known as "GODEFROI de Bouillon", after this inherited castle. She was married on December 29, 1786 in Medemblik, Noord-Holland, Nederland to Teunis Pietersz Bot She was married on January 14, 1787 in Wervershoof, Noord-Holland, Nederland to Teunis Pietersz Bot. [19] Accompanied by Byzantine soldiers, in early May the Crusaders invested Nicaea, a city close to Constantinople captured by the Turks in 1085. Count Eustace III and 3. While the holdings of Geoffrey de Mandeville were not nearly as great as those of Eustace of Boulogne, he was a very substantial landholder in 11 counties and his daughter a suitable match for "Godfrey" who had already inherited a great deal from his maternal uncle. 1099 Ascalon trophes.jpg 3,602 2,078; 1.14 MB Godfrey of Bouillon (18 September 1060 - 18 July 1100) was a medieval Frankish knight who was one of the leaders of the First Crusade from 1096 until his dea. Alexius I had made a separate peace with the Turks and now claimed the city for the Byzantine Empire. Godfrey of Bouillon (c. 1060 - 18 July 1100) was a medieval Frankish knight who was one of the leaders of the First Crusade from 1096 until his death. "While he was besieging the city of Acre, Godfrey, the ruler of Jerusalem, was struck by an arrow, which killed him", reports the Arab chronicler Ibn al-Qalanisi. Su to Godofredo el Jorobado lo eligi como heredero de la Baja Lorena, pero en 1076 el Emperador Enrique IV slo le concedi la Marca de Amberes, quedndose para s mismo el feudo de la Baja Lorena (entonces denominada Baja Lotaringia), ya que su to no tena descendientes directos, es decir un heredero directo masculino. Godfrey, who, even according to Albert's representation, contributed little to the success of the undertaking, is all at once represented in strong terms as the head of the army, the most noble. Godfrey of Bouillon was also known as Godefroi de Bouillon, and he was best known for leading an army in the First Crusade, and becoming the first European ruler in the Holy Land. It was made by Eugne Simonis, and inaugurated on 24 August 1848. I have been back and forth on this subject, and had been fairly recently convinced "once and for all" by Wikipedia that William was the son of Godfrey's brother. His parentage is confirmed by an undated charter under which his grandson "Faramus filius Willielmi Boloni" confirmed donations to Okeburn Priory, Wiltshire by "Gaufridus filius comitis Eustacii de Bolonia avus meus, et Willielmus de Bolonia filius ipsius pater meus" [524]. Godfrey's nephew, Baldwin of Boulogne, was the first king of the Latin Empire of Constantinople. It was there assumed that the confusion was ancient and that Eustace's son Godofred, was genuinely a Godfrey. Liebermann asks whether Geoffrey's daughter was not thus 'the first wife, else unknown, of the future King of jerusalem'.' Some speculate that he is Godfrey of Bouillon, but he was most likely the his half brother. When Konrad was crowned King of Germany in 1087, Godefroi de Boulogne was installed as GODEFROI IV Duke of Lower Lotharingia. However, he refused to take the title, claiming that no man should ever wear a crown where Christ has worn his crown of thorns. Murray also adduces chronological and geographical considerations that make it improbable that Godfrey could have married an English heiress and had a son prior to becoming Duke of Lower Lotharingia and joining the First Crusade -- the chronology and geography just don't line up as they should if Godfrey and Geoffrey were one and the same. Worse, the Byzantine emperor expected the Crusaders to take an oath of loyalty to him. 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. William Of Boulogne, of Carshalton, Surrey, son and heir, born say 1085. Alexius I, hearing of the desperate situation, thought that all was lost at Antioch and did not come to help the Crusaders as promised. J. Horace Round (1895, p.256 [no citation given]), citing Domesday references to property held by Goisfrid, son of Count Eustace in right of his wife, daughter of Geoffrey de Mandeville, says that 'Dr. He became Lord of Bouillon (from where he took his name) in 1076 and he gained a reputation as a good military leader and warrior, for successfully defending his lands from usurpers in the late 1070s. [27] 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. Matilda of Tuscany, the widow of his uncle, said that these lands should have come to her. This profile should be updated, augmented, and corrected by the scholarly study of Alan V. Murray, "The Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem: A Dynastic History 1099-1125" (2000), which represents the current state of the question on whether or not Godfrey, King of Jerusalem, was the same as Geoffrey de Boulogne. In the spring and early summer of 1096, members of the People's Crusade plundered and massacred Jewish communities during the Rhineland massacres. In 2005 Godfrey came in 17th place in the French language Le plus grand Belge, a public vote of national heroes in Belgium. Godfrey of Bouillon (ca 1060-1100) was duke of Lower Lorraine and had his name linked to a castle in the Belgian Ardennes. But Godfrey and Alexius I had different goals. He was the Lord of Bouillon, from which he took his byname, from 1076 and the Duke of Lower Lorraine from 1087. The Crusaders would be battling them for the final prize of the First Crusade in the siege of Jerusalem. 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. Alan V. Murray has shown in his 2000 scholarly study "The Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem: A Dynastic History 1099-1125" that Godfrey's older half-brother Geoffrey de Boulogne is no myth -- Godfrey and Geoffrey were distinct, and Godfrey, King of Jerusalem, never married. Their daughter, Heilwig, married Arnold van Rode, thus the niece of Godfrey Bouillon was a van Rode/Roesmont. However, Round accepted the testimony of his linguistically naive friend against that of Liebermann and therefore invented a non-existent bastard son, Geoffrey, of Eustace of Boulogne. That De Mandeville would have alienated property in order to give his daughter in marriage to a bastard son of Count Eustace, lacking any substantial prospects, is highly unlikely. The Fatimids had taken Jerusalem in August 1098. 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,[31] most famous today as the storyline of Wagner's opera Lohengrin. The emperor conferred the duchy of Lotharingia on his infant son Konrad, with Albert III Comte de Namur as vice-duke, although the Annalista Saxo records that he created Godefroi as Markgraf van Antwerpen in "Traiecti" at Easter 1076. Godfrey and the other knights agreed to a modified version of this oath, promising to help return some lands to Alexius I. [3][4] Second son of Eustace II, Count of Boulogne, Godfrey became Lord of Bouillon in 1076 and in 1087 Emperor Henry IV confirmed him as Duke of Lower Lorraine, a reward for his support during the Great Saxon Revolt. By the spring of 1097 the Crusaders were ready to march into battle. Godfrey continued to play a minor but important role in the battles against the Muslims until the Crusaders finally reached Jerusalem in 1099. Godfrey of Bouillon was born in 1060, at birth place, to Eustace II, Count of Boulogne and Boulogne. Godfrey is depicted in Handel's opera "Rinaldo" (1711) as Goffredo. He endowed the hospital in the Muristan after the First Crusade. After the liberation of Jerusalem in 1099, Godfrey became the first ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, although he refused the title "king" as he said that title belonged to God. It was an end to three years of fighting by the Crusaders, but they had finally achieved what they had set out to do in 1096to recapture the Holy Land and, in particular, the city of Jerusalem and its holy sites, such as the Holy Sepulchre, the empty tomb of Jesus Christ. The truth was later recognized by Joseph Armitage Robinson in his study of the Crispins, and by H.W.C. Enter a grandparent's name. "Tomb of Godfrey de Bouillon. The Crusaders took Antioche and Edesse in 1099 and marched against Jerusalem. A Muslim force under Kerbogha, from the city of Mosul, arrived and battled the Crusaders, but the Christians finally defeated these Islamic troops. William Of Boulogne was deceased sometime before 1130. In 2005 he came in 17th place in the French language Le plus grand Belge, a public vote of national heroes in Belgium. Once the city was returned to Christian rule, some form of government had to be set up. to Count Eustace II of Boulogne and his wife Ida, who was the daughter of Duke Godfrey II of Lower Lorraine. After some difficulties in Hungary, he arrived in Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire, in November. Following these long struggles and proving that he was a loyal subject to Henry IV, Godfrey finally won back his duchy of Lower Lorraine in 1087. 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. Godfrey reigned for just short of one year, dying of the plague on 18 July 1100, never having married or having had any children. Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City: the author, 2013), volume I, page 466 BOULOGNE 3. I am a descendant of his, so this makes a difference in my ancestry. Godfrey never married. Dreamtime Sapiens rule the world because only they can weave an intersubjective web of . The crusaders' control over Jerusalem was strengthened by their defeat of the Fatimid army from Egypt in the plain of al-Majdal 11 Aug 1099[373]. [10] 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. Este ducado estaba muy influido por la reforma cluniacense, y al parecer, Godofredo era una persona muy religiosa, de este modo y aunque haba luchado a favor del Emperador contra el papado, Godofredo literalmente vendi todo lo que tena y se uni a la Cruzada que predic Urbano II en el Concilio de Clermont. While previous studies of Godfrey's life have tended to focus on . Godfrey and his troops were the second to arrive (after Hugh of Vermandois) in Constantinople. Godfrey became duke of Lorraine in 1076 at the age of eighteen. [14] [15] [16], 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. Godfrey also acknowledged himself as a vassal of Daimbert, patriarch of Jerusalem, thus laying the foundation for future struggles between lay and ecclesiastical figures who sought to control the kingdom. He is best remembered as one of the leaders of the First Crusade that ended with the liberation of Jerusalem, and where he was made the first ruler of the newly created Kingdom of Jerusalem. Melissa Snell is a historical researcher and writer specializing in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Along with his brothers Eustace III and Baldwin of Boulogne, Godfrey joined the First Crusade in 1096. discoveries. I would add that if Geoffrey were a son of the English princess Godgifu, the identity and rank of his *English* mother would have been especially attractive to the Norman family of Mandeville which had acquired vast land holdings in England. Bohemond decided to remain behind in order to secure his new kingdom and Godfrey's younger brother, Baldwin, also decided to stay in the north at the Crusader state he had established at Edessa. He was the Lord of Bouillon, from which he took his byname, from 1076 and the Duke of Lower Lorraine from 1087. Godfrey was already a legend among the descendants of the original . In the kingdom he founded he was constantly held up as a model for princes as well as warriors. Godfrey of Bouillon (French: Godefroy, Dutch: Godfried, German: Gottfried, Latin: Godefridus Bullionensis; 1060 18 July 1100) was a French nobleman[1][2] and pre-eminent leader of the First Crusade. Lacking sufficient men to invest the entire city, the Crusaders deployed opposite Jerusalem's northern and western walls. By William of Tyre's time later in the 12th century, Godfrey was already a legend among the descendants of the original crusaders. 2008 - 2023 INTERESTING.COM, INC. See my longer comment elsewhere on this profile page. With this money he gathered thousands of knights to fight in the Holy Land. The terms of the mortgage agreements he drew up in preparation for going to the Holy Land suggest that Godfrey had no intention of staying there. While Godfrey, Robert of Normandy, and Robert of Flanders covered the walls of the north as far south as the Tower of David, Raymond took responsibility for attacking from the tower to Mount Zion. France, John (1983). GODEFROI de Boulogne ([1060]-in Palestine 18 Jul 1100, bur Jerusalem, Church of the Holy Sepulchre). The map below shows the places where the ancestors of the famous person lived. Born Godefroy DE BOUILLON French nobleman and pre-eminent leader of the First Crusade Born on 1058 in Boulogne-sur-Mer , France Died on July 18, 1100 in Jrusalem , Israel Deceased on July 18 37 Family tree Report an error de THROUANNE Baudouin II 977 - 1033 de FRISE Adlade Adle Adlide 980 - 1045 de LOUVAIN Lambert 1er Le Barbu 955 - 1015 [6] Following long struggles, and after proving that he was a loyal subject to Henry IV, Godfrey finally won back his duchy of Lower Lorraine in 1087. Brother of Eustace III, count of Boulogne and Baldwin I, King of Jerusalem He was designated heir by his maternal uncle, on whose death in 1076 he inherited the county of Verdun, the allods of Stenay and Mouzay, and the castle of Bouillon with its dependencies. Most of the foot soldiers wanted to continue south to Jerusalem, but Raymond IV of Toulouse, by this time the most powerful of the princes, having taken others into his employ, such as Tancred, hesitated to continue the march. that aected Muslim responses to the European crusaders and their descendants who would go on to live in the Latin Christian states that were created in the region. Whatever Dagobert's schemes, they were destined to come to naught. Godfrey of Bouillon - History's Greatest Knight - documentary Real Crusades History 248K subscribers Subscribe 43K views 2 years ago The Crusades in the Late 11th Century Godfrey of Bouillon: a. 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. Dagobert may well have envisaged turning Jerusalem into a fiefdom of the pope, but his full intentions are not clear. In 1096, Godfrey joined the First Crusade with Eustace and his younger brother, Baldwin. Godfrey was the second son of Count Eustace II of Boulogne and Ida of Lorraine. [17] He finally reached Constantinople in November, shortly after those led by Hugh of Vermandois while others arrived over the next few months. Dagobert was subsequently forced to crown Baldwin as the first Latin king of Jerusalem on December 25, 1100. Updates? In 1076 his maternal uncle named Godfrey heir to the duchy of Lower Lorraine, the county of Verdun, the Marquisate of Antwerp and the territories of Stenay and Bouillon. Murray highlights that the evidence concerning the alleged title "advocatus Sancti Sepulcri" is based on a single letter written in Laodicea in [Sep/Oct] 1099 to Daibert Archbishop of Pisa. Eustache II, married (1st) before 1049 Goda Of England, widow of Dreux, (died 1035), and daughter of Aethelred II, King of England, by Emma, daughter of Richard I, Duke of Normandy. Godefroy de Bouillon (n unele lucrri n romn Godefroi de Bouillon, iar n valon Godfrw d' Bouyon, neerlandez Godfried van Bouillon, german Gottfried von Bouillon, latin Godefridus Bullionensis; n. 1060, Boulogne-sur-Mer - d. 18 iulie 1100, Ierusalim) a fost un cavaler medieval, unul dintre liderii Primei Cruciade din 1096 pn la moartea sa. Shortly thereafter, Godfrey and his fellow crusaders beat back a force of encroaching Egyptians. Godfrey of BouillonFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaGodfrey of Bouillon (c. 1060, Baisy-Thy, near Brussels, Belgium July 18, 1100, Jerusalem), (Dutch: Godfried van Bouillon, French: Godefroy (or Godefroid) de Bouillon) was a leader of the First Crusade. Godfrey had 9 siblings: Baldwin I of Jerusalem, Eustace III Count of Boulogne and 7 other siblings. He took part in actions at Nicaea, Dorylaeum and Antioch, before playing a key role during the capture of Jerusalem in 1099. Most fascinating, however, is Murray's suggestion (note: a suggestion, not proven) that Geoffrey may not have been a "mere bastard," but rather could have been the offspring of his father Eustace II's first marriage (or rather, attempted marriage) to the English princess Godgifu, daughter of Aethelred II the Redeless, King of England. Their issue, if any, is uncertain. When Alexios demanded an oath of loyalty, Godfrey and most of the Crusaders agreed a modified version in which they promised to restore some lands to the Emperor, Raymond of Toulouse being a notable exception. In their progress through the Holy Land, some of the Crusaders took a detour to find allies and supplies, and they ended up establishing a settlement in Edessa. Godfrey of Bouillon, French Godefroi de Bouillon, (born c. 1060died July 18, 1100, kingdom of Jerusalem [now Jerusalem, Israel]), duke of Lower Lorraine (as Godfrey IV; 10891100) and a leader of the First Crusade, who became the first Latin ruler in Palestine after the capture of Jerusalem from the Muslims in July 1099. There is no compelling evidence that Godfrey and Geoffrey were identical, but there is evidence indicating that they were two separate persons, and then we have the medieval primary sources which all agree that Godfrey never married and which are silent on him ever having any children. Godfrey won back his duchy in 1089 as a reward for his loyal service in Henrys war against the Saxons. Snell, Melissa. Godfrey of Bouillon was a medieval Frankish nobleman best known for his role as one of the main leaders during the First Crusade. Their first major victory, with Byzantine soldiers at their side, was at the city of Nicaea, close to Constantinople, which the Seljuk Turks had taken some years earlier. This information is part of Genealogy Richard Remm, The Hague, Netherlands by Richard Remm on Genealogy Online. His son, Baldwin I, was the first king of the crusader state of Jerusalem. Godfrey claimed descent from Constantine the Great, Heraclius and Charlemagne.[7]. Godfrey of Bouillon, as mentioned above, was chosen to be the first king. Raymond of Saint-Gilles, also known as Raymond of Toulouse, created the largest army. Husband of Doda (Lorraine) de Basse-Lotharingie married 1040 in Lower Lorraine, France Descendants Father of Ida (Lorraine) Boulogne , Godfrey (Lorraine) de Boulogne and Bertram (Verdun) de Verdun Died 24 Dec 1069 at about age 63 in Verdun, Meuse, Lorraine, France Profile manager: Thom Anderson [ send private message ] His features were pleasing, his beard and hair of medium blond.". Runciman is looking back from the days of 'Godfrey's' greatness, rather than realistically appraising the situation at the time of his marriage. Godfrey acquired Tilbesar, a prosperous region that would make it possible for him to supply his troops more readily and help him increase his number of followers. Out of humility, however, he eschewed the royal title, instead assuming the title of Advocate or Defender of the Holy Sepulcher. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols, ed. William appears as a witness to a document of 1106 and in a couple of later documents. This cycle connected his ancestors to the legend of the Knight of the Swan,[4] most famous today as the storyline of Wagner's opera Lohengrin. While previous studies of Godfrey's life have tended to focus on his career from the point at which he joined the . He was not the only major nobleman to gather such an army. Then Kay Allen, AG, responded to Leo by copying the extensive note printed in Ancestral Roots following the above entry, stating that AR had considered Leo/Wagner's argument and refuted it. This article incorporates text from the Encyclopdia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. Godfrey and some of his knights were the first to take the walls and enter the city.