c. 1060–1100 · Leader of the First Crusade and ruler of Jerusalem
Godefroy de Bouillon
Other names · Godfrey of Bouillon
Godefroy de Bouillon (c. 1060–1100) — Leader of the First Crusade and ruler of Jerusalem. This dossier combines the biographical record with dated events and the listed primary and secondary sources.
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BIOGRAPHICAL DOSSIER
Life and historical role
Life and political setting
Godfrey belonged to the Boulogne dynasty and held the duchy of Lower Lotharingia. To finance his expedition he sold or mortgaged part of his lands and travelled east with a substantial following alongside his brothers Eustace and Baldwin. Contemporary evidence presents him as one of several senior princes rather than the sole commander of the First Crusade.
Career during the Crusading era
He took a leading part in the operations at Nicaea, Dorylaeum, Antioch and Jerusalem. After the capture of Jerusalem he accepted a title commonly rendered as Advocate or Defender of the Holy Sepulchre rather than the royal title. He also participated in the victory over the Fatimid army at Ascalon in August 1099 and governed Jerusalem until his death in 1100.
Documented activity: a chronological record
On 1096 (late)–May 1097, Godefroy de Bouillon appears in the atlas record “Princes' armies assemble at Constantinople” at Constantinople. The event is documented through Cambridge History of War, ‘Crusaders and settlers in the East, 1096–1291’, TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, ‘Haçlılar’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, ‘Crusades’. On 1 July 1097, Godefroy de Bouillon appears in the atlas record “Battle of Dorylaeum” at Eskişehir region. The event is documented through Gesta Francorum, Anna Komnene, Alexiad, TDV İA, ‘Kılıcarslan I’.
On 14 May – 19 June 1097, Godefroy de Bouillon appears in the atlas record “Siege of Nicaea” at Nicaea. The event is documented through Anna Komnene, Alexiad, Gesta Francorum, TDV İA, ‘Haçlılar’. On 12 August 1099, Godefroy de Bouillon appears in the atlas record “Battle of Ascalon” at Ascalon. The event is documented through Gesta Francorum, Fulcherius Carnotensis, World History Encyclopedia kronolojisi.
On 22 July 1099, Godefroy de Bouillon appears in the atlas record “Political foundation of the Kingdom of Jerusalem” at Jerusalem. The event is documented through Cambridge History of War, ‘Crusaders and settlers in the East, 1096–1291’, TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, ‘Haçlılar’, Encyclopaedia Britannica, ‘Crusades’. On 7 June – 15 July 1099, Godefroy de Bouillon appears in the atlas record “Capture of Jerusalem” at Jerusalem. The event is documented through Gesta Francorum, Raymond d’Aguilers, İbnü’l-Esîr.
Allies, opponents and geographical range
Godefroy de Bouillon appears in the same records as Alexios I Komnenos, Bohemond I, Kilij Arslan I, al-Afdal Shahanshah, Raymond de Saint-Gilles, İftiharüddevle. Co-occurrence does not always indicate alliance: the connection may involve command, dynastic rivalry, captivity, negotiation or direct conflict.
The principal geographical range represented in the atlas is Constantinople; Eskişehir region; Nicaea; Ascalon; Jerusalem. These places record not only presence but also the supply lines, diplomatic contacts and limits of authority relevant to the biography.
Results of recorded decisions
The “Princes' armies assemble at Constantinople” dossier records the consequences of this episode and identifies the source problems that limit a definitive reconstruction. Use this record as a starting point for comparing narrative sources, military practice, captivity, negotiation and the legal treatment of war.
The “Battle of Dorylaeum” dossier records the consequences of this episode and identifies the source problems that limit a definitive reconstruction. Use this record as a starting point for comparing narrative sources, military practice, captivity, negotiation and the legal treatment of war.
The “Siege of Nicaea” dossier records the consequences of this episode and identifies the source problems that limit a definitive reconstruction. Use this record as a starting point for comparing narrative sources, military practice, captivity, negotiation and the legal treatment of war.
The “Battle of Ascalon” dossier records the consequences of this episode and identifies the source problems that limit a definitive reconstruction. Use this record as a starting point for comparing narrative sources, military practice, captivity, negotiation and the legal treatment of war.
Sources and historiography
Latin chronicles and dynastic narratives make the person's role visible, while charters, treaties, letters and Arabic, Greek, Armenian or Syriac accounts provide independent controls. Later heroic portraits are evidence for memory and reception, not contemporary biography.
Names and titles vary between languages; Godfrey of Bouillon should be searched together in catalogues and texts. Approximate dates remain marked as such, and later literary or visual fame is separated from contemporary testimony.
Biographical statements are tied to the sources listed on this page and to the connected event dossiers. Approximate or disputed dates remain marked; missing information is not filled by conjecture, and later literary or visual representations are not treated as contemporary portraits.