Godfrey IV (died 26 or 27 February 1076), known as the Hunchback, was
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 ...
from 1069 until his death in 1076, succeeding his father
Godfrey the Bearded
Godfrey III ( 997 – 1069), called the Bearded, was the eldest son of Gothelo I, Duke of Upper and Lower Lorraine.
Biography Disputed succession
By inheritance, Godfrey was Count of Verdun and he became Margrave of Antwerp as a vassal of ...
.
In the year of his accession, he married Margravine
Matilda of Tuscany
Matilda of Tuscany ( it, Matilde di Canossa , la, Matilda, ; 1046 – 24 July 1115 or Matilda of Canossa after her ancestral castle of Canossa), also referred to as ("the Great Countess"), was a member of the House of Canossa (also known as th ...
, daughter of his stepmother
Beatrice of Bar
Beatrice of Bar (also ''Beatrix''; c. 1020 – 18 April 1076) was the marchioness of Tuscany by marriage to Boniface III of Tuscany, and Regent of Tuscany from 1052 until her death, during the minority of and in co-regency with, her daughter Ma ...
, and thus became
margrave of Tuscany
The rulers of Tuscany varied over time, sometimes being margraves, the rulers of handfuls of border counties and sometimes the heads of the most important family of the region.
Margraves of Tuscany, 812–1197 House of Boniface
:These were origin ...
. Godfrey and Matilda had only one child, Beatrice, who was born in 1071 and died the same year. From 1071 onwards, Godfrey lived apart from his wife. The two spouses were on opposite sides in the
Investiture Controversy
The Investiture Controversy, also called Investiture Contest (German: ''Investiturstreit''; ), was a conflict between the Church and the state in medieval Europe over the ability to choose and install bishops (investiture) and abbots of monast ...
: Matilda was a partisan of
Pope Gregory VII and Godfrey of
Emperor Henry IV
Henry IV (german: Heinrich IV; 11 November 1050 – 7 August 1106) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 to 1105, King of Germany from 1054 to 1105, King of Italy and Burgundy from 1056 to 1105, and Duke of Bavaria from 1052 to 1054. He was the son ...
.
He warred on Henry's behalf against
Magnus, Duke of Saxony, in 1075 and on that of the
bishop of Utrecht in 1076 against Counts
Dirk V of Holland
Dirk V (1052 – June 17, 1091) was Count of Holland (called Frisia at that time) from 1061 to 1091.
Dirk V succeeded his father, Floris I, under the guardianship of his mother, Gertrude of Saxony. William I, Bishop of Utrecht, took advantage ...
and
Robert I of Flanders
Robert I ( – 13 October 1093), known as ''Robert the Frisian'', was count of Flanders from 1071 to his death in 1093. He was a son of Baldwin V, Count of Flanders and the younger brother of Baldwin VI, Count of Flanders. He usurped the counts ...
. He was assassinated by spear in
Vlaardingen
Vlaardingen () is a city in South Holland in the Netherlands. It is located on the north bank of the Nieuwe Maas river at the confluence with the Oude Maas. The municipality administers an area of , of which is land, with residents in .
Geog ...
while "answering the call of nature". Despite Matilda's opposition he nominated his nephew
Godfrey of Bouillon
Godfrey of Bouillon (, , , ; 18 September 1060 – 18 July 1100) was a French nobleman and pre-eminent leader of the First Crusade. First ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from 1099 to 1100, he avoided the title of king, preferring that of princ ...
to succeed him, but the emperor instead appointed his own son,
Conrad. Godfrey of Bouillon succeeded eventually in 1087 and gained fame on the
First Crusade
The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic ru ...
.
See also
*
List of people who died on the toilet
Numerous individuals have died while using a toilet facility or in the process of defecation or urination. This includes confirmed or suspected historical figures as well as more recent notable cases.
Pre-20th century
20th century
21st c ...
*
Toilet-related injuries and deaths
There have been many toilet-related injuries and deaths throughout history and in urban legends.
Accidental injuries
Infants and toddlers have fallen into toilet bowls and drowned. Safety devices exist to help prevent such accidents. Injuries to a ...
References
Sources
*
*
1076 deaths
House of Limburg
Margraves of Antwerp
Godfrey 2
Dukes of Lower Lorraine
Regents of Tuscany
Royalty and nobility with disabilities
Year of birth unknown
People murdered in the Netherlands
Deaths by blade weapons
Lords of Bouillon
Matilda of Tuscany
House of Ardenne–Verdun
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