Godfrey of Bouillon
Leader of the First Crusade and Defender of the Holy Sepulchre
"I will not wear a crown of gold where my Savior wore a crown of thorns."โ Explaining his refusal to accept the title of King of Jerusalem.
Biography
Godfrey of Bouillon was a Frankish knight and the Duke of Lower Lorraine, serving as a vassal to the Holy Roman Emperor.
In 1095, answering the impassioned call of Pope Urban II, Godfrey and his brothers sold or mortgaged their lands to raise a large, well-equipped army and joined the First Crusade.
He emerged as one of the most prominent military commanders during the perilous journey to the Holy Land, fighting valiantly in the sieges of Nicaea, Antioch, and ultimately the fateful Siege of Jerusalem.
Following the successful capture of Jerusalem in July 1099, the Crusade leaders held a council. When Raymond of Toulouse declined the crown, Godfrey was elected as the first ruler of the newly founded Crusader state.
Refusing to wear a crown of gold in the city where Jesus Christ had worn a crown of thorns, Godfrey rejected the title of King. Instead, he accepted the humble title 'Defender of the Holy Sepulchre' (Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri). He successfully defended the new kingdom against a Fatimid counter-attack at the Battle of Ascalon but died just a year later in 1100.