Godfrey+of+Bouillon

 __Godfrey of Bouillon- A Frankish Knight__ Godfrey of Bouillon, a French nobleman, was a prominent figure in the [|First Crusade]. Godfrey embodied the elements of a pious Christian knight and was the first Latin ruler of Jerusalem. He was a protector of the monastic life and epitomized reli﻿gious loyalty that met the expectations of contemporary society. Godfrey’s participation and leadership in the crusades illustrates the devotion that he carried for the Church, although the crusades were not his only exhibition of religious devotion. It cannot be denied that the Crusades were a pivotal moment in Godfrey’s life, but the period before the religious expedition was devoted to the protection and endorsement of Papal ideologies.[1]

 __Early life﻿__ Godfrey was born in 1060 CE in France, which was still apart of the Holy Roman Empire. He was the second son of [|Eustace II of Boulogne]and Ida of Bouillon, and was expected to have fewer opportunities than his older brother.[2] His mother Ida was a picture of piousness and Godfrey’s religious nature has been attributed to her influence.[3] In 1076 Godfrey III, Godfrey’s maternal uncle, died and nominated Godfrey of Bouillon heir to his estates.[4] The inheritance raised Godfrey to the status of [|laity] and subsequently, provided the opportunity to influence his local area and monasteries. Godfrey’s endowment highlights the intimate relationship that was shared by the local elite and the monasteries. The link between the Lords and defense of Christendom were closely related in the high middle ages. The laity were custodians of the local monasteries and this was seen in the aristocratic imagination as the highest form of Christian life.[5]

__The Struggle for Godfrey's Land__ The inheritance also drew the young Godfrey into an enduring conflict and defense of his bequeathed land. [|Mathilda of Tuscany], Godfrey III estranged wife, laid claim to the land that Godfrey of Bouillon was given.[6] The [|area of Lorraine] was tumultuous and was rarely secure unless by force. Mathilda claimed the estates of her late husband in which the Papacy gave her support.[7] The bitter conflict invited more contenders for the lands, resulting in periodic struggles for Godfrey’s land until 1086.[8] Although the struggle that these lands produced was lasting, Godfrey relinquished some of his property to the [|Church of St Hubert]. The Church claimed that the land of Bouillon had originally belonged to the Church, but had been separated by force by Godfrey’s ancestry.[9] Godfrey sanctified the return of the land to the Church in 1076 by partaking in rites at the altar of St. Hubert.[10] Godfrey made regular appearances at the monastery and was an active advocate for St. Hubert. Godfrey led a faithful life, demonstrated his support by volunteering the land, and consequently absolved his family’s deeds. His concern for the prosperity and honor of the monasteries in his region is evident, endorsing his responsibilities of a layperson. 

__The Crusades__ The Crusades were a decisive point in Godfrey of Bouillon’s life creating his story that has carried throughout history. In 1095, [|Pope Urban] called for Christian support against the Muslims in the East and his request was met with sincere enthusiasm.[11] Godfrey began to sell his possessions and build funds to embark on the pilgrimage. The parallels between monasticism and the crusades are evident in the description presented by [|Guibert of Nogent]:

‘//God has instituted holy wars in our time so that the order of Knights and the wandering multitude…engaged in mutual slaughter, might find a new way of earning salvation. And so they need not abandon the work completely by choosing the monastic life or any other religious profession… for now they can obtain in some measure God’s grace while pursuing their own way of life with the freedoms and in the dress to which they are accustomed.//’[12]

The description provided by Guilbert illustrates the contemporary attitude of the elite regarding the Crusades. This was the fusion of a traditional idea with a fundamental difference that this violence could be commendable and viewed as acts of atonement. This resulted in the adoption of the idea that military action was the will of God and was believed to be a defense of cloistered life. Their contemporaries saw the Crusaders as relinquishing their material belongings and leaving their families behind, satisfying ‘//two of Christ’s scriptural injunctions concerning Christian discipleship//.’[13]

Godfrey of Bouillon was considered a pre-eminent example of this piety. [|Ralph of Caen] states that he was someone who ‘//with his humility, clemency, sobriety, righteousness and extraordinary chastity, was shining with the light of monks rather than as the leader of soldiers.//’[14] It is evident with the description that his contemporaries considered Godfrey as a religious man, who adopted the penury and voluntary exile for the love of God. It was not only Ralph of Caen who recognised G odfrey’s contribution but also Gilo of Paris’ anonymous author who recognized Godfrey as //peregrinus Christi,// a pilgrim of Christ.[15] 

__The Kingdom of Jerusalem__ Godfrey was elected as the king of Jerusalem in July 1099 and this has been the principal element in his life that has created his reputation for piety. ‘On the eighth day after the city was taken they chose Duke Godfrey as its ruler, so that he might fight against the pagans and protect the Christians.’[16] Godfrey refused the title of King, preferring to adopt the title of [|Advocate of the Holy Sepulcher] or Princeps. He was regarded, as being elected by God and those electing him believed that they were acting under divine inspiration.[17] Godfrey governed Jerusalem and continued to defend the city against the Muslims until his death in 1100.

__References:__ [1]John C Andressohn, //The Ancestry and Life of Godfrey of Bouillon// (Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana Univesity Publications, 1947), 42. [2]Alan V Murray, “The Army of Godfrey of Bouillon 1096-1099: Structure and Dynamics of a Contingent on the First Crusade,” //Revue belge de philologie et d'histoire// 70, no. 70-2 (1992 ) 305. [3]Andressohn, //The Ancestry and Life of Godfrey of Bouillon//, 51. [4]Alan V Murray, “The Army of Godfrey of Bouillon 1096-1099: Structure and Dynamics of a Contingent on the First Crusade,” //Revue belge de philologie et d'histoire// 70, no. 70-2 (1992 ): 312. [5]William C Jordan, //Europe in the High Middle Ages// (London: Penguin Book, 2001), 112. [6] Andressohn, //The Ancestry and Life of Godfrey of Bouillon//, 14. [7]Andressohn, //The Ancestry and Life of Godfrey of Bouillon//, 34. [8] Ibid., 37. [9]Andressohn, //The Ancestry and Life of Godfrey of Bouillon//, 34. [10] Ibid.,33. [11]Jordan, //Europe in the High Middle Ages//. 103. [12]William J Purkis, //Crusading Spirituality in the Holy Land and Iberia c.1095- c 1187// (Suffolk: The Boydell Press, 2008), 20. [13]Purkis, //Crusading Spirituality, 40.// [14] Ibid., 21. [15] Ibid., 17. [16]Anonymous, //Gest Francorum et Aliorum Hierosolimitanorum//, ed. Rosalind Hill (London: Thomas Nelson and Sons LTD, 1962), 92. [17]Jonathan Riley-Smith, “The Title of Godfrey of Bouillon,” //Historical Research// 52, no. 125 (1979): 84.