Godfrey, I Count of Louvain

Male Between 1060 and 1074 - 1140  (~ 80 years)


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  • Name Godfrey , I Count of Louvain  [1
    Suffix I Count of Louvain 
    Born Between 1060 and 1074  Lorraine, France Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2
    Gender Male 
    Died 25 Jan 1139/40  Afflingham, Flanders, Belgium Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2
    Notes 
    • He married, firstly, Ida de Namur, Comtesse de Namur, daughter of Albert III, Comte de Namur and Ida von Sachsen, circa 1105. He married, secondly, Clementia de Bourgogne, daughter of Guillaume de Bourgogne, Comte de Bourgogne, after 1121.

      Godefroi I de Louvain, Duc de Basse-Lorraine also went by the nick-name of Godefroi 'le Barbu' (or in English, Geoffrey 'the Bearded'). He gained the title of Duc de Basse-Lorraine. He gained the title of Comte de Brabant. He gained the title of Comte de Louvain.

      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 Louvain (or Leuven) 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.

      Biography

      Godfrey was the son of Henry II and a countess named Adela. He succeeded his brother Henry III in 1095. He first came into conflict with Otbert, Bishop of Liège, 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 Loon, over the appointment of the abbot of Sint-Truiden.

      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, one of whom, 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 Liège 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.

      Family and children

      He married Ida of Namur, daughter of Otto II of Namur and Adelaide of Namur. They had several children:

      Adeliza of Louvain (b. 1103-d. abbey of Affligem, 23 April 1151) married Henry I, King of England and later William d'Aubigny, 1st Earl of Arundel (1109-before 1151).
      Godfrey II of Louvain (b. 1107-d. 13 June 1142), Duke of Lower Lotharingia, Landgrave of Brabant, Count of Brussels and Louvain. He married Lutgardis of Sulzbach, daughter of Berenger I of Sulzbach.
      Clarissa (d. 1140).
      Henry (d. in the abbey of Affligem, 1141), monk.
      Ida (d. 1162) married to Arnold II, count of Cleves (d. 1147).

      Later, he married to Clementia of Burgundy and had issue:

      Joceline of Louvain (d. 1180); he accompanied his half-sister Adeliza to England and married Agnes, heiress of the Percy family, and took her surname. Probably the same as Gosuinus, mentioned in 1143 together with his sister Adeliza.
    Person ID I3070  Bosdet Genealogy
    Last Modified 16 May 2013 

    Father Henry, II Count of Louvain,   b. 1021, Brabant Wallon, Belgium Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Aft 1075  (Age > 55 years) 
    Relationship Natural 
    Mother Adela of Orthen,   b. Abt 1023, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Aft 1086  (Age ~ 64 years) 
    Relationship Natural 
    Family ID F511  Group Sheet

    Family 1 Clementia of Burgundy,   b. Abt 1078,   d. Abt 1133  (Age ~ 55 years) 
    Married Aft 1121  [1, 3
    Children 
     1. Godfrey, II Count of Louvain,   b. Abt 1110, Leuven, Vlaams-Brabant, Belgium Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 13 Jun 1142  (Age ~ 32 years)
    Family ID F856  Group Sheet

    Family 2 Ida of Namur,   b. Abt 1078, Namur, Belgium Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 23 Apr 1151  (Age ~ 73 years) 
    Married Abt 1105  [1, 4
    Children 
     1. Adeliza of Louvain,   b. Abt 1103, Louvain, Belgium Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Abt 23 Apr 1151, Afflingham, Flanders, Belgium Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 48 years)
     2. Joscelin of Louvain,   b. Abt 1123, Louvain, Belgium Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Bef 1180, Egmanton, Nottinghamshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 56 years)
    Family ID F857  Group Sheet

  • Sources 
    1. [S174] Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godfrey_I,_Count_of_Louvain.

    2. [S160] Richard Glanville-Brown, (Location: 2, Milton, Ontario, Canada;).

    3. [S178] thePeerage.com, Darryl Lundy, (Location: Ngaio, Wellington, New Zealand;).

    4. [S188] Royal Genealogies Website (ROYAL92.GED).