Arnout II (d. after 1115), Count of Aarschot, son of Arnout I, Count of Aarschot (d. after 1060). Arnout commanded one of the fleets which left 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 Middle Ages. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Muslim conquest ...

in 1096. His fleet presumably carried the army of

Hugh, Count of Vermandois Hugh (1057 – October 18, 1101), called the Great (, ) was the first count of Vermandois from the House of Capet. He is known primarily for being one of the leaders of the First Crusade. His nickname ''Magnus'' (greater or elder) is probably a ...

, since the other crusader armies travelled by land. Other sources say he travelled with

Godfrey of Bouillon Godfrey of Bouillon (; ; ; ; 1060 – 18 July 1100) was a preeminent leader of the First Crusade, and the first ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from 1099 to 1100. Although initially reluctant to take the title of king, he agreed to rule as pri ...

, although Murray does not identify him as a member of Godfrey's army. He apparently survived the crusade and was at Aachen in 1115 with

Emperor Henry V Henry V (; probably 11 August 1081 or 1086 – 23 May 1125) was King of Germany (from 1099 to 1125) and Holy Roman Emperor (from 1111 to 1125), as the fourth and last ruler of the Salian dynasty. He was made co-ruler by his father, Henry IV, in ...

at an Easter celebration, when his fingers began to bleed, a portent of shedding blood through disputes with the princes. Arnout was married but the name of his wife is unknown. He and his wife had at least three children: * Arnout III, Count of Aarschot * Godfried I van Aarschot * Oda van Aarschot, married to Gerard van Grimbergen. Upon his death, Arnout was succeeded by his son and namesake as Count of Aarschot.

Sources

*Hasselt, A. H. C. van, Les Belges aux Croisade, Jamar, 1846 (available o
Google Books
*Murray, Alan V.
"The Army of Godfrey of Bouillon, 1096–1099: Structure and Dynamics of a Contingent on the First Crusade" (PDF)
'' Revue belge de philologie et d'histoire'' 70/2 (1992), pp. 301-329.
The History of the Country of Aarschot

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arnout 02, Count of Aarschot Christians of the First Crusade 12th-century deaths Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown