c. 1060
Boulogne, France, or Baisy, Belgium

July 18, 1100
Jerusalem

Knight and duke of Lower Lorraine, leader of the First Crusade and first ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem

"He was a religious man, mild mannered, virtuous, Godfearing. He was just, he avoided evil, he was trustworthy and dependable in his undertakings.... He was considered by everyone to be most outstanding in the use of weapons and in military operations."

—William of Tyre, "History of Deeds Done beyond the Sea," in The Crusades: A Documentary History.

Godfrey of Bouillon (pronounced boo-YOHN) was a medieval knight, or trained soldier, as well as a duke of the region of Lower Lorraine (in present-day northwestern Germany). He...