Godfrey of Bouillon

Godfrey of Bouillon (c. 1060–18 July 1100) was a prominent leader of the First Crusade and the first ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from 1099 to 1100. Though initially hesitant to accept the title of king, he agreed to govern as prince (princeps) under the designation Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri, or Advocate of the Holy Sepulchre.

The second son of Eustace II, Count of Boulogne in present-day France, Godfrey inherited territories from his mother's family in 1076 when he became Lord of Bouillon, located in modern Belgium. In 1087, Emperor Henry IV confirmed him as Duke of Lower Lorraine as compensation for his loyalty during the Great Saxon Revolt.

Godfrey joined the First Crusade in 1096 alongside his brothers Eustace III and Baldwin of Boulogne. He participated in significant military actions at Nicaea, Dorylaeum, and Antioch before playing a decisive role in the capture of Jerusalem in 1099. When Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse, declined the offer to rule the newly established kingdom, Godfrey accepted the responsibility. He consolidated his authority by defeating the Fatimid forces at Ascalon a month later, effectively concluding the First Crusade.

Godfrey's choice of the title Advocate of the Holy Sepulchre rather than king reflected either personal humility or political calculation, possibly signaling deference to ecclesiastical authority or acknowledging that Christ alone should be considered king of Jerusalem. His brief reign lasted just one year before his death in July 1100. His brother Baldwin succeeded him, taking the title King of Jerusalem that Godfrey had declined, and establishing a dynastic succession that would continue for nearly a century. Godfrey's reputation grew substantially after his death, and medieval literature transformed him into an idealized Christian knight, featuring him prominently in chivalric romances and crusading chronicles as the exemplar of crusader virtue.