Editing Godfrey of Bouillon (section)

==Legacy==
[[File:Gottfried von Bouillon (Hofkirche Innsbruck) 2006 0931C.jpg|thumb|upright|Sixteenth-century bronze statue of Godfrey of Bouillon from the group of heroes surrounding the memorial to [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor]] in the [[Hofkirche, Innsbruck]]|alt=A statue of a knight with a long beard. He is wearing a crown of thorns and elaborate armour. He has a sword in his left hand, and a shield rests against his right leg.]]

According to [[William of Tyre]], the later 12th-century chronicler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, Godfrey was "tall of stature, not extremely so, but still taller than the average man. He was strong beyond compare, with solidly-built limbs and a stalwart chest. His features were pleasing, his beard and hair of medium blond."

As the first ruler of the [[Kingdom of Jerusalem]] and one of those who had taken part in its capture, Godfrey was idealized in later accounts. He was depicted as the military leader of the crusade, a legislator who established the [[assizes of Jerusalem]], and in the early 14th century was selected as one of the [[Nine Worthies]], a pantheon of famous warriors thought to epitomise chivalric ideals.{{Sfn|John|2022|pp=80–81}} In reality, Godfrey was only one of several leaders of the crusade, which also included [[Raymond IV of Toulouse]], [[Bohemond I of Antioch|Bohemond of Taranto]], [[Robert II, Count of Flanders|Robert of Flanders]], [[Stephen, Count of Blois|Stephen of Blois]] and [[Baldwin I of Jerusalem|Baldwin of Boulogne]] to name a few, along with papal legate [[Adhemar of Le Puy|Adhemar of Montiel]], Bishop of Le Puy. [[Baldwin I of Jerusalem]], Godfrey's younger brother, became the first titled king when he succeeded Godfrey in 1100. The assizes were the result of a gradual development.

Godfrey's role in the crusade was described by various authors, including [[Raymond of Aguilers]] and [[Albert of Aix]], anonymous author of the ''[[Gesta Francorum]]''. In [[fiction]], he was the hero of the "[[Crusade cycle]]", a collection of French ''[[chansons de geste]]'' dealing with the First Crusade, which connected him to the legend of the [[Knight of the Swan]],{{Sfn|Holböck|2002|p=147}} most famous today as the storyline of [[Richard Wagner|Wagner's]] opera ''[[Lohengrin (opera)|Lohengrin]]''.

By William of Tyre's time later in the 12th century, Godfrey was already a legend among the descendants of the original crusaders. Godfrey was believed to have possessed immense physical strength; it was said that in [[Cilicia]] he wrestled a bear and won, and that he once beheaded a camel with one blow of his sword.

[[File:Godefroy.jpg|thumb|Equestrian statue of Godfrey of Bouillon in Brussels]]
Since the mid-19th century, an [[equestrian sculpture|equestrian statue]] of Godfrey of Bouillon has stood in the centre of the [[Place Royale, Brussels|Place Royale/Koningsplein]] in [[Brussels]], Belgium. It was made by [[Eugène Simonis]], and inaugurated on 24 August 1848.

Godfrey is a key figure in the [[pseudohistorical]] theories put forth in the books ''[[The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail]]'' and ''[[The Da Vinci Code]]''.

In 2005 Godfrey came in 17th place in the [[French language]] ''[[Le plus grand Belge]]'', a public vote of national heroes in Belgium. He did not make the 100 greatest Belgians, as voted by the [[Flemish language|Dutch speakers]] in ''[[De Grootste Belg]]'' (the Greatest Belgian).

===Literature and music===
* In the ''[[Paradiso (Dante)|Paradiso]]'' segment of his ''[[Divine Comedy]]'', [[Dante Alighieri]] sees the spirit of Godfrey, together with [[Roland]]'s, in the Heaven of Mars with the other "warriors of the faith".
* [[Pierre Desrey]]'s ''Genealogie de Godefroi de Buillon'', completed in 1499, gives a complete history of the [[Crusades]], starting with the birth of the ''Chevalier au Cygne'' (Knight of the Swan), the ancestor of Godfrey, and ending after the accession of [[Philip IV of France]] (1268–1314). At least six editions are preserved from the 16th century, published between 1504 and 1580.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://users2.unimi.it/lavieenproses/index.php/titres/103-genealogie-de-godefroi-de-buillon-de-pierre-desrey?showall=1&limitstart=|last1=Weill|last2=Suard|first1=Isabelle|first2=François|title=Genealogie de Godefroi de Buillon de Pierre Desrey|publisher=Università degli Studi di Milano|language=fr|access-date=2015-12-22|archive-date=2016-03-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304043714/http://users2.unimi.it/lavieenproses/index.php/titres/103-genealogie-de-godefroi-de-buillon-de-pierre-desrey?showall=1&limitstart=|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{citation|language=fr|title=La genealogie avecques les gestes et nobles faitz darmes du trespreux et renommé prince Godeffroy de Boulion et de ses chevaleureux frères Baudouin et Eustace |year=1511 |author1=Pierre Desrey|author2=Vincent de Beauvais |publisher=Michel Le Noir|url=http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8600184k}}</ref>
* [[Torquato Tasso]] made Godfrey, as "Goffredo di Buglione", the hero of his epic poem ''[[Jerusalem Delivered]]''.
* A Spanish play entitled "''La conquista de Jerusalén por Godofre de Bullón''" was written in the mid-1580s and known to have been performed in 1586. The play was discovered in the late 1980s by Stefano Arata. It is attributed to and is now widely accepted to have been written by [[Miguel de Cervantes]]. It is an adaptation of Tasso's poem and features Godfrey as an ideal of Christian kingship, possibly as a critical parallel to King [[Philip II of Spain]] (1556–98).
* Godfrey is depicted in [[Georg Friedrich Händel]]'s opera ''[[Rinaldo (opera)|Rinaldo]]'' (1711) as Tasso's "Goffredo".
* Godfrey also plays key roles in the following novels:
** ''The Blue Gonfalon'' by Margaret Ann Hubbard, which follows Godfrey and his men on their journey to the Holy Land. It is told through the eyes of Bennet, Godfrey's squire.
** ''The Iron Lance'' by [[Stephen R. Lawhead]]
** ''Godfrey de Bouillon, Defender of the Holy Sepulchre'', by Tom Tozer.
* Godfrey's sword is given satirical mention in [[Mark Twain]]'s ''[[The Innocents Abroad]]'' (1869).