Godfrey, Duke of Lower Lorraine, was one of the leaders of the First Crusade. When the Pope issued his summons to the Crusade, Godfrey joined the French knights leaving for the Holy Land, together with his brother Baldwin. In order to finance his expenses, he mortgaged his entire property. His army was made up of Walloons, Flemings, and Germans. On July 15, 1099, his soldiers were the first to break through to Jerusalem, and took part in the subsequent massacre of the Jewish and Muslim residents of the city. On July 22, he was named ruler of Jerusalem. This choice, in which Godfrey de Bouillon was preferred to Raymond de Saint-Giles, was the best solution to the problem faced by the conquerors of Jerusalem, who had to decide the status of Jerusalem's ruler, and to whom he would be subject. Thus, Godfrey was awarded the title of "Defender of the Holy Sepulchre." For the rest of the single year in which he held this title, Godfrey managed to extend the boundaries of the Crusader state and to lay the foundations of its organization. After his one year of rule, he died and was buried in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. |
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