Godfrey III ( nl, Godfried; c. 1142 – 21 August 1190) was count of Louvain (or Leuven),

landgrave of Brabant The Landgraviate of Brabant (1085–1183) was a small medieval fiefdom west of Brussels, consisting of the area between the Dender and Zenne rivers in the Low Countries, then part of the Holy Roman Empire. Before 1085 the land had belonged ...

margrave of Antwerp The Margraviate of Antwerp (or Mark of Antwerp) consisted since the eleventh century of the area around the cities of Antwerp and Breda. Origin Under Otto II, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, several marches were created along the border wi ...

, and

duke of Lower Lorraine The rulers of Lorraine have held different posts under different governments over different regions, since its creation as the kingdom of Lotharingia by the Treaty of Prüm, in 855. The first rulers of the newly established region were kings of ...

(as Godfrey VIII) from 1142 to his death.

Origins

He was the son of Godfrey II and Lutgarde of Sulzbach. He was still an infant at his succession (therefore called ''dux in cunis'') of which a few Brabantian vassals sought to take advantage to become independent of the duke (Wars of

Grimbergen Grimbergen () is a municipality in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant, 10 km north of the capital Brussels. It comprises the towns of Beigem, Grimbergen, Humbeek, and Strombeek-Bever. In 2017, it had a population of 37,030 and an are ...

, 1141–1159).

Career

On 30 March 1147, Godfrey was present at the coronation of

Henry Berengar Henry Berengar (1136/7–1150), sometimes numbered Henry (VI), was the eldest legitimate son of Conrad III of Germany and his second wife, Gertrude von Sulzbach. He was named after his father's maternal grandfather, the Emperor Henry IV, and his mot ...

, son of Conrad III of Germany, in Aachen. When Conrad left on Crusade, war began anew in 1148. Peace was elusive until the election of Conrad's successor, Frederick Barbarossa. By marriage to Margaret, daughter of Henry II of Limburg, Godfrey united two powerful and antagonistic houses in the region. In 1159 Godfrey ended the war with the Berthout, lords of

, by burning their impressive castle at

. In 1171, Godfrey was at war with Hainaut, but was defeated. In 1172, he bought the County of Aarschot from its wayward count Godfried III, which in future generations would give rise to the dynasty of the

Dukes of Aarschot The Duke of Aarschot (or ''Aerschot'') was one of the most important aristocratic titles in the Low Countries, named after the Brabantian city of Aarschot. The title was held by the House of Croÿ and the House of Arenberg. The present Duke is Le ...

that remain to this day. In 1179, he gave his son

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

in marriage to a niece of Philip of Alsace, Count of Flanders. Between 1182 and 1184 Godfrey went on a Jerusalem campaign. In the interim, Barbarossa granted

the title "

Duke of Brabant The Duke of Brabant (, ) was the ruler of the Duchy of Brabant since 1183/1184. The title was created by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in favor of Henry I of the House of Reginar, son of Godfrey III of Leuven (who was duke of Low ...

". Godfrey died in 1190, on 10 or 21 August. He left an increased territory and built the fortress of Nedelaer (near

Vilvoorde Vilvoorde (, french: Vilvorde ; historically known as ''Filford'' in English) is a Belgian municipality in the Flemish province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the city of Vilvoorde proper with its two outlying quarters of Koningslo ...

). The ducal title was transmitted to his son at the

Diet Diet may refer to: Food * Diet (nutrition), the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group * Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake ** Diet food, foods that aid in creating a diet for weight loss ...

Schwäbisch Hall Schwäbisch Hall (; "Swabian Hall"; from 1802 until 1934 and colloquially: ''Hall'' ) is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg located in the valley of the Kocher river, the longest tributary (together with its headwater Lein) of the ...

(September 1190).

Marriages and children

Godfrey married twice: *Firstly to Margaret of Limbourg, daughter of Henry II, Duke of Limburg, in 1158, by whom he had two children: at Medieval Lands ** Henry I, Duke of Brabant (1165 – 5 Sep 1235). Henry was installed in 1180 as

until 1222. He was made count of Louvain in 1183, until 1198. He was installed as Duke of Brabant in 1191. ** Albert de Louvain (1166 – 24 Nov 1192). Albert was elected Bishop of Louvain (Liege) in 1191, but assassinated in Reims in 1192. *Secondly Godfrey married Imagina of Loon, daughter of

Louis I, Count of Loon Louis I (Latin ''Ludovicus'', German ''Ludwig'', Dutch ''Lodewijk''; died 11 August 1171) was the Count of Loon, now in modern Belgium, and Burgrave of Mainz, in Germany. He inherited these offices from his father. He also established the County of ...

, by whom he had two children: ** William of Louvain. Lord of

Perwez Perwez (; wa, Perwé; nl, Perwijs, ) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. On 1 January 2006 the municipality had 7,487 inhabitants. The total area is 50.81 km², giving a population density Pop ...

en Ruysbroek. Married Marie of Orbais, daughter of Enguerrand of Orbais. ** Godfrey of Louvain (d.1226), who went to England in 1196 and became Senechal of the Honour of Eye. He married Alice de Hastings, daughter and heiress of Robert de Hastings (d.''circa'' 1190), feudal baron of

Little Easton Little Easton is a village and civil parish in Essex, England. The village is situated approximately east from the town of Bishop's Stortford, and north-west from the county town of Chelmsford. Little Easton parish is defined at the west by ...

in Essex,Sanders, I.J. English Baronies: A Study of their Origin and Descent 1086-1327, Oxford, 1960, p.130, Little Easton by whom he had: *** Matthew de Lovaine , Lord of Little Easton, Seneschal of the Honour of Eye (b. about 1202 in Little Easton, Essex, England – d. 1 June 1258 in Little Easton, Essex, England)

Sources

* Chronique des Ducs de Brabant, Adrian van Baerland, Antwerp (1612). Available at the online library of Geneanet

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Godfrey 03, Count of Louvain Dukes of Lower Lorraine Counts of Louvain Margraves of Antwerp House of Reginar 1140s births 1190 deaths Year of birth uncertain