Godfrey I, Count of Verdun
Encyclopedia
Godfrey I called the Prisoner or the Captive (le Captif), sometimes the Old (le Vieux), was the count of Bidgau and Methingau from 959 and the count of Verdun
from 963 to his death. In 969, he obtained the margravate of Antwerp and Ename. Between 974 and 998, he was also the count of Hainault and Mons
.
, who crowned Hugh Capet the king of France.
He was the founder of the House of Limburg or House of Ardennes-Verdun, a cadet branch of the House of Ardennes. He was always loyal to the Ottonian
s, whom he was related through his maternal grandmother.
He appears as the new count of Verdun in 963, though already count of Bidgau and Methingau through inheritance since 959. In 974, he became count of Mons, and Hainault jointly with Arnold, Count of Valenciennes
, after the fall of Reginar IV. Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine
, was a supporter of Reginar and defeated Godfrey and Arnold at Mons in 976, where the former was captured.
After his release, he was at the side of the Emperor Otto II fighting Lothair of France
at Verdun in 985, but he was again taken captive and held several years. He was released in 987 by Hugh Capet, whose political ally Godfrey's family was: Adalberon, Godfrey's brother, having crowned Hugh and Godfrey being an enemy of Charles of Lower Lorraine, Hugh's Carolingian
rival.
In 989, he was made prisoner a third time by Herbert III of Vermandois. He was liberated before 995, when he appears at the synod of Mousson
. In 998, he lost his Hainault portion (the county of Mons) to Reginar.
, of the Billung
family, a widow of Baldwin III of Flanders. He had the following issue:
Count of Verdun
The counts of Verdun, now in eastern France, were often during the Middle Ages rulers of Lorraine; the descendants of the early counts were also margraves in Tuscany and Latin rulers in the Latin East after the First Crusade....
from 963 to his death. In 969, he obtained the margravate of Antwerp and Ename. Between 974 and 998, he was also the count of Hainault and Mons
Mons
Mons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,...
.
History
He was the son of Gozlin, Count of Bidgau and Methingau, and Oda of Metz. He was the brother of Adalberon, Archbishop of ReimsAdalberon, Archbishop of Reims
Adalberon was the archbishop of Reims, chancellor of Kings Lothair and Louis V of France.Upon the death of Louis V, in 987, Adalberon and Gerbert of Aurillac addressed the electoral assembly at Senlis in favour of Hugh Capet, to replace the Carolingian monarch. Adalberon pleaded:Capet was elected...
, who crowned Hugh Capet the king of France.
He was the founder of the House of Limburg or House of Ardennes-Verdun, a cadet branch of the House of Ardennes. He was always loyal to the Ottonian
Ottonian
The Ottonian dynasty was a dynasty of Germanic Kings , named after its first emperor but also known as the Saxon dynasty after the family's origin. The family itself is also sometimes known as the Liudolfings, after its earliest known member Liudolf and one of its primary leading-names...
s, whom he was related through his maternal grandmother.
He appears as the new count of Verdun in 963, though already count of Bidgau and Methingau through inheritance since 959. In 974, he became count of Mons, and Hainault jointly with Arnold, Count of Valenciennes
Valenciennes
Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...
, after the fall of Reginar IV. Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine
Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine
Charles of Lorraine was the son of Louis IV of France and Gerberga of Saxony and younger brother of King Lothair. He was a sixth generation descendant of Charlemagne...
, was a supporter of Reginar and defeated Godfrey and Arnold at Mons in 976, where the former was captured.
After his release, he was at the side of the Emperor Otto II fighting Lothair of France
Lothair of France
Lothair , sometimes called Lothair IV, was the Carolingian king of West Francia , son of Louis IV and Gerberga of Saxony.-Regency:...
at Verdun in 985, but he was again taken captive and held several years. He was released in 987 by Hugh Capet, whose political ally Godfrey's family was: Adalberon, Godfrey's brother, having crowned Hugh and Godfrey being an enemy of Charles of Lower Lorraine, Hugh's Carolingian
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...
rival.
In 989, he was made prisoner a third time by Herbert III of Vermandois. He was liberated before 995, when he appears at the synod of Mousson
Pont-à-Mousson
Pont-à-Mousson is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.Population : 14,592 . It is an industrial town , situated on the Moselle River...
. In 998, he lost his Hainault portion (the county of Mons) to Reginar.
Family
In 963, he married Matilda, daughter of Herman, Duke of SaxonyHerman, Duke of Saxony
Hermann Billung was a Margrave of Saxony and one of the most well-known members of the House of Billung.Hermann was the son of Billung von Stubenskorn and Ermengarde of Nantes. Hermann is generally counted as the first Billung Duke of Saxony, but his exact position is unclear...
, of the Billung
Billung
The House of Billung was a dynasty of Saxon noblemen in the 9th through 12th centuries.The first known member of the house was Count Wichmann, mentioned as a Billung in 811...
family, a widow of Baldwin III of Flanders. He had the following issue:
- Frederick (d. 1022), count of Verdun
- GodfreyGodfrey II, Duke of Lower LorraineGodfrey II , called the Childless, son of Godfrey I, Count of Verdun, was the count of Verdun from his father's death in 1002 and duke of Lower Lorraine after the death in 1012 of the Carolingian Otto, who left no sons....
(d. 1023), count of Verdun and duke of Lower Lorraine (1012-1023) - Adalberon (d. 988) , bishop of Verdun (984-988)
- Herman of Ename (d. 1024), count of Brabant (retired as a monk in the abbey of Verdun abt. 1020)
- GotheloGothelo I, Duke of LorraineGothelo , called the Great, was the duke of Lower Lorraine from 1023 and of Upper Lorraine from 1033. He was also the margrave of Antwerp from 1005 and count of Verdun. Gothelo was the youngest son of Godfrey I, Count of Verdun, and Matilda Billung, daughter of Herman, Duke of Saxony...
(d. 1044), margrave of Antwerp, duke of Lower (1023-1044) and later also Upper (1033-1044) Lorraine - Bertram de VerdunBertram de VerdunBertram de Verdun was the name of several members of the Norman family of Verdun, native of Avranchin.For the historian Mark Hagger, the Verdun family lived lavishly in Normandy where they were minor land holders, and after the Norman conquest of England they were granted land in England...
, grand-uncle of the Bertram I who went to EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
where he held the manor of Farnham Royal in BuckinghamshireBuckinghamshireBuckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. - Ermengarde (d. 1042), married Otto of Hammerstein, count in the Wettergau
- Ermentrude, married Arnold de Rumigny (d. 1010), lord of FlorennesFlorennesFlorennes is a Walloon municipality located in Belgium in the province of Namur. On January 1, 2006 Florennes had a total population of 10,754...
- probably also an unnamed daughter, married Count Godizo of AspeltAspeltAspelt is a small town in the commune of Frisange, in southern Luxembourg. In 2005, its population was 970.Aspelt Castle in the centre of the town is a Baroque residence built in 1590 on the site of a medieval castle from the 11th century. There are now plans to renovate the building....