Gozelo II (died 1097), presumed Count of Montaigu, son of

Conon, Count of Montaigu Conon (also Cono or Cuno; died 1 May 1106) was a Lotharingian nobleman and military leader of the First Crusade. He was one of the most prominent lords of the Ardennes, being the count of Montaigu, lord of Rochefort and advocate (defender) of th ...

, and Ida of Boulogne, sister of Godfrey, first ruler of the

Kingdom of Jerusalem The Kingdom of Jerusalem ( la, Regnum Hierosolymitanum; fro, Roiaume de Jherusalem), officially known as the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem or the Frankish Kingdom of Palestine,Example (title of works): was a Crusader state that was establishe ...

. As the eldest son of Conon, it is assumed that he became the count upon his father's death in 1096. As reported by both

Albert of Aix Albert of Aix(-la-Chapelle) or Albert of Aachen; la, Albericus Aquensis; ''fl.'' c. 1100) was a historian of the First Crusade and the early Kingdom of Jerusalem. He was born during the later part of the 11th century, and afterwards became canon ( ...

and

William of Tyre William of Tyre ( la, Willelmus Tyrensis; 113029 September 1186) was a medieval prelate and chronicler. As archbishop of Tyre, he is sometimes known as William II to distinguish him from his predecessor, William I, the Englishman, a former ...

, Gozelo and his brother Lambert (the heirs of the count of Mortagne) took a major role in 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 ...

, participating in the

Siege of Nicaea The siege of Nicaea was the first major battle of the First Crusade, taking place from 14 May to 19 June 1097. The city was under the control the Seljuk Turks who opted to surrender to the Byzantines in fear of the crusaders breaking into the ci ...

in 1097. They then joined the army of

Robert II, Count of Flanders Robert II, Count of Flanders (c. 1065 – 5 October 1111) was Count of Flanders from 1093 to 1111. He became known as Robert of Jerusalem (''Robertus Hierosolimitanus'') or Robert the Crusader after his exploits in the First Crusade. Early l ...

, marching on

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

. Gozelo never made it to the subsequent siege, dying of disease in

Artah Artah ( ar, أرتاح; modern-day Reyhanlı) was a medieval town and castle located 25 miles east-northeast of Antioch, to the east of the Iron Bridge on the Roman road from Antioch to Aleppo. History After the reconquest of Antioch by the Byzant ...

. Gozelo left no heirs and was succeeded by his brother Lambert as Count of Montaigu.

References

Bibliography

* *{{citation, last=Runciman , first= Steven , series=A History of the Crusades , volume =1, title= The First Crusade and the Foundation of the Kingdom of Jerusalem , publisher=Cambridge University Press , place= Cambridge , year= 1951

Primary sources

*Albert of Aix (Albertus Aquensis), ''Liber Christianae Expeditionis pro Ereptione, Emundatione et Restituitione Sanctae Hierosolymitanae Ecclesiae'', in R.H.C.Occ., vol. iv *William of Tyre, ''Historia Rerum in Partibus Transmarinis Gestarum'', in R.H.C.Occ, vol. i, parts i and ii

External links

Medieval Lands Project, Comtes de Montaigu
Counts 1097 deaths Christians of the First Crusade Counts of Montaigu