House of Flanders

Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 25. Chapters: House of Boulogne, House of Hainaut, Matilda of Flanders, Eustace III, Count of Boulogne, Godfrey of Bouillon, Baldwin I of Constantinople, Eustace II, Count of Boulogne, Henry of Flanders, Isabella of Hainault, Robert II, Count of Flanders, Judith of Flanders, Countess of Northumbria, Matilda of Boulogne, Robert I, Count of Flanders, Margaret II, Countess of Flanders, Yolanda of Flanders, Baldwin V, Count of Flanders, Joan, Countess of Flanders, Baldwin I, Count of Flanders, Philip I of Namur, Adela of Flanders, Judith of Lens, Adelolf, Count of Boulogne, Baldwin VII, Count of Flanders, Baldwin III, Count of Hainaut, Arnulf I, Count of Flanders, Baldwin II, Count of Flanders, Baldwin IV, Count of Flanders, Baldwin II, Count of Hainaut, Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut, Baldwin VI, Count of Flanders, Richard of Flanders, Arnulf II, Count of Flanders, Baldwin IV, Count of Hainaut, Baldwin III, Count of Flanders, Arnulf III, Count of Flanders, Eustace I, Count of Boulogne, Lambert II, Count of Lens, Arnulf II, Count of Boulogne. Excerpt: 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. He was the Lord of Bouillon, from which he took his byname, from 1076 and the Duke of Lower Lorraine from 1087. After the successful siege 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. 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) and never married. Godfrey of Bouillon was born around 1060 in either Boulogne-sur-Mer in France or Baisy, a city in the region of Brabant (part of present-day Belgium). During Godfrey's lifetime this region was part of the Holy Roman Empire. Godfrey was the second son of Count Eustace II of Boulogne and Ida of Lorraine. As second son, he had fewer opportunities than his older brother and seemed destined to become just one more minor knight in service to a rich landed nobleman. However, his uncle on his mother's side, Godfrey the Hunchback, Duke of Lower of Lorraine, died childless and named his nephew, Godfrey of Bouillon, as his heir and next in line to his duchy of Lower Lorraine. This duchy was an important one at the time, serving as a buffer between the kingdom of France and the German lands. In fact, Lower Lorraine was so important to the German kingdom and the Holy Roman Empire that Henry IV, the German king and future emperor (ruled 1084-1105), decided in 1076 that he would place it in the hands of his own son and give Godfrey only Bouillon and the Mark of Antwerp, in the Duchy of Brabant, as a test of Godfrey's abilities and loyalty. Godfrey served Henry IV loyally, supporting him even when Pope Gregory VII was battling the German king in the Investiture Controversy. Godfrey fought with Henry and his forces against the rival forces of Rudolf of Swabia and also took part in b