Godfrey III ( nl, Godfried; c. 1142 – 21 August 1190) was

count of Louvain The Counts of Louvain were a branch of the Lotharingian House of Reginar which from the late 10th century ruled over the estates of Louvain ('' French'') or Leuven (''Dutch'') in Lower Lorraine. History The likely ancestor of the Reginars, Gil ...

(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 (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, son of

Conrad III of Germany Conrad III (german: Konrad; it, Corrado; 1093 or 1094 – 15 February 1152) of the Hohenstaufen dynasty was from 1116 to 1120 Duke of Franconia, from 1127 to 1135 anti-king of his predecessor Lothair III and from 1138 until his death in 1152 k ...

, in

Aachen Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th- ...

. When Conrad left on Crusade, war began anew in 1148. Peace was elusive until the election of Conrad's successor,

Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on ...

. By marriage to Margaret, daughter of

Henry II of Limburg Henry II ( – August 1167) was the duke of Limburg from 1139 and count of Arlon from 1147 to his death. He was the son of Waleran, Duke of Lower Lorraine, and Jutta of Guelders, daughter of Gerard I of Guelders. He succeeded his father in Lim ...

, 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 A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

. 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 in marriage to a niece of

Philip of Alsace Philip I (1143 – 1 August 1191), commonly known as Philip of Alsace, was count of Flanders from 1168 to 1191. During his rule Flanders prospered economically. He took part in two crusades and died of disease in the Holy Land. Count of Flanders ...

Count of Flanders The count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders, beginning in the 9th century. Later, the title would be held for a time, by the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain. During the French Revolution, in 1790, the co ...

. Between 1182 and 1184 Godfrey went on a Jerusalem campaign. In the interim, Barbarossa granted Henry the title " Duke of Brabant". 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 of

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 Henry II ( – August 1167) was the duke of Limburg from 1139 and count of Arlon from 1147 to his death. He was the son of Waleran, Duke of Lower Lorraine, and Jutta of Guelders, daughter of Gerard I of Guelders. He succeeded his father in Lim ...

, in 1158, by whom he had two children: at Medieval Lands **

Henry I, Duke of Brabant Henry I ( nl, Hendrik, french: Henri; c. 1165 – 5 September 1235), named "The Courageous", was a member of the House of Reginar and first duke of Brabant from 1183/84 until his death. Early life Henry was possibly born in Leuven (Louvain) ...

(1165 – 5 Sep 1235). Henry was installed in 1180 as duke of Lower Lorraine until 1222. He was made

in 1183, until 1198. He was installed as Duke of Brabant in 1191. **

Albert de Louvain Albert of Louvain (1166 – 24 November 1192) was a cardinal of the Catholic Church and the Prince-Bishop of Liège. He was canonized as a saint on 9 August 1613 and his feast falls on the date of his death. Biography Albert de Louvain was born ...

(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 of 147 ...

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 A feudal baron is a vassal holding a heritable fief called a ''barony'', comprising a specific portion of land, granted by an overlord in return for allegiance and service. Following the end of European feudalism, feudal baronies have largely been ...

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 th ...

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