Godfrey I "the Bearded"

Abt 1060 - 1140  (80 years)

• Name	Godfrey I "the Bearded"   [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
  Birth	Abt 1060	Lorraine Inferie, France   [2, 5]
  Gender	Male
  Fact	Duke of Lower Lorraine   [5]
  Fact	Margrave of Antwerp   [5]
  Fact 1	Count of Louvain   [5]
  Death	25 Jan 1139/40	Jerusalem, Israel   [1, 2, 5]
  Burial	Effinghem   [2]
  Notes	Godfrey I (c.1060 ? 25 January 1139), called the Bearded, the Courageous, or the Great, was the landgrave of Brabant, and count of Brussels and Leuven (or Louvain) from 1095 to his death and duke of Lower Lorraine (as Godfrey V or VI) from 1106 to 1129. He was also margrave of Antwerp from 1106 to his death. Godfrey was the son of Henry II of Leuven and a countess called Adela (origin unknown). He succeeded his brother Henry III in 1095. He first came into conflict with Otbert, Bishop of LiËge, over the county of Brunengeruz that both claimed. In 1099, Emperor Henry IV allotted the county to the bishop, who entrusted it to Albert III, Count of Namur. Godfrey arbitrated a dispute between Henry III of Luxembourg and Arnold I, Count of Looz, over the appointment of the abbot of Saint-Trond. Godfrey was in favour with the emperor and defended his interests in Lorraine. In 1102, he stopped Robert II of Flanders, who was invading the Cambraisis. After the death of the emperor in 1106, his son and successor, Henry V, who had been in rebellion, decided to avenge himself on his father's partisans. Duke Henry of Lower Lorraine was imprisoned and his duchy confiscated and given to Godfrey. After Henry escaped from prison, he tried to retake his duchy and captured Aachen, but ultimately failed. In 1114, during a rift between the emperor and Pope Paschal II, Godfrey led a revolt in Germany. In 1118, the emperor and the duke were reconciled. In 1119, Baldwin VII of Flanders died heirless and Flanders was contested between several claimants, of which William of Ypres had married a niece of Godfrey's second wife. Godfrey supported William, but could not enforce his claim against that of Charles the Good. Also dead in that year was Otbert. Two separate men were elected to replace him and Godfrey again sided with the loser. By marrying his daughter Adeliza to Henry I of England, who was also the father-in-law of the emperor, he greatly increased his prestige. However, Henry V died in 1125 and Godfrey supported Conrad of Hohenstaufen, the duke of Franconia, against Lothair of Supplinburg. Lothair was elected. Lothair withdrew the duchy of Lower Lorraine and granted it to Waleran, the son of Henry, whom Henry V had deprived in 1106. Nonetheless, Godfrey maintained the margraviate of Antwerp and retained the ducal title (which would in 1183 become Duke of Brabant). After the assassination of Charles the Good in 1127, the Flemish succession was again in dispute. William Clito prevailed, but was soon fraught with revolts. Godfrey intervened on behalf of Thierry of Alsace, who prevailed against Clito. Godfrey continued to war against LiËge and Namur. Godfrey spent his last years in the abbey of Affligem. He died of old age on 25 January 1139 and was buried in the left aisle of the abbey church. He is sometimes said to have passed in 1140, but this is an error.
  Person ID	I37010	Main Tree
  Last Modified	7 Feb 2016

  
  

  Father	Henry II,   b. Abt 1020/21, of Brabant d. Abt 1078/9 (Age 58 years)
  Relationship	Birth
  Mother	Adelaide Of The BETUWE,   b. Abt 1045   d. Aft 1086 (Age > 42 years)
  Relationship	Birth
  Family ID	F14425	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Ida Of Chiny And NAMUR,   b. 1083, Namur, Belgium d. Aft 1125 (Age > 43 years)
  Marriage	Abt 1100  [2]
  Married	Abt 1105  [5]
  Children	1. Adela Of LOUVAIN,   b. Between 1103 and 1105, Brabant, Netherlands d. Between 23 Mar and 23 Apr 1151, Afflingham, Flanders, France (Age ~ 48 years)  [Birth]   2. Ida Princess Of Lower LORRAINE,   b. Abt 1106, Brabant, Netherlands  [Natural]   3. Duke of Lower Lorraine Godfrey II,   b. Abt 1108, Louvain, Brabant d. 13 Jun 1142 (Age 34 years)  [Birth]   4. Jocelin LOUVAIN,   b. Abt 1123, Louvain, Belgium d. 1180, Egmanaton, Nottinghamshire, England (Age 57 years)  [Birth]
  Family ID	F02307	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	6 Feb 2016

  
  

  Family 2	Clemence Of BURGUNDY
  Marriage	Abt 1121  [2]
  Family ID	F14424	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Fact - - Duke of Lower Lorraine Fact - - Margrave of Antwerp Death - 25 Jan 1139/40 - Jerusalem, Israel Burial - - Effinghem  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S01910] Blood Royal, Issue of the Kings and Queens of Medieval England 1066-1399 by. T. Anna Leese. [S03311] Roderick W. Stuart, Royalty For Commoners - Fourth Edition, (Name: Name: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc;;). [S03581] Wikipedia Encyclopedia. [S00012] E. Glenn Denison, "Denison Genealogy" Ancestors and Descendants of Captain George Denison, (Name: Name: Gateway Press, Inc. Baltimore 1993;;), 63-13712. [S5840] Frederick Lewis Weis, Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonist Who Came to America before 1700.