Godfrey of Bouillon

Godefroi de Bouillon (ca. 1061-1100), the Duke of Lorraine; son of Eustace II, Count of Boulogne. Godfrey was one of the leaders of the First Crusade. In 1099 he was elected King of Jerusalem, an honour which he declined on the grounds that it was impious to call himself King in the holy city. Instead, he accepted the rulership of the Kingdom of Jerusalem under the title Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri, "Defender of the Holy Sepulcher".

He was immediately called upon to defend his kingdom from Egyptian Moslems. He also faced difficulties with the Patriarch of Jerusalem, who favoured Raymond of Toulouse as ruler and wanted the kingdom to be a fiefdom of the Pope in Rome.

During his short reign, Godfrey laid the foundations of his kingdom, defended its borders, and was energetic in seeking to establish its stability. Childless and unmarried, after his death the Kingdom of Jerusalem passed, over the Patriarch's protests, to his brother Baldwin I who did take the title "King".

Godfrey had a great reputation for bravery, honour and chivalry. In the early 14th century Jean de Longuyon included him in his list of Nine Worthies.