Godfrey of Bouillon Elected Defender of Jerusalem: The Crusader Kingdom Is Born
The elected king refused to wear a crown of gold where Christ wore thorns. Godfrey of Bouillon took Jerusalem on July 15, 1099, after a siege that left the streets ankle-deep in blood—chroniclers claimed 10,000 died in the Al-Aqsa Mosque alone. Eight days later, fellow crusaders offered him the throne. He accepted, but chose a different title: Advocatus Sancti Sepulchri, Defender of the Holy Sepulchre. Not king. One year later he was dead from typhoid, and his brother Baldwyn took the crown Godfrey wouldn't wear.
July 22, 1099
927 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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