Godfrey of Namur (attested in 1080; died 19 August 1139) was a Lotharingian nobleman. He was Count ''

jure uxoris ''Jure uxoris'' (a Latin phrase meaning "by right of (his) wife"), citing . describes a title of nobility used by a man because his wife holds the office or title '' suo jure'' ("in her own right"). Similarly, the husband of an heiress could beco ...

'' of Porcéan from 1097 until his death. From 1102, he was also Count of

Namur Namur (; ; ) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namur stands at the confl ...

. He was the oldest son of Count Albert III and his wife Ida of Saxony, the heiress of Laroche. In 1121, he founded Floreffe Abbey, where he also was buried.

Marriages and issue

Godfrey married twice. He first married in 1087 Sibylle, a daughter of Count Roger of

Château-Porcien Château-Porcien () is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France. Population See also *Communes of the Ardennes department The following is a list of the 447 communes of the Ardennes department of France France, o ...

and his wife Ermengarde. Together, they had two daughters: * Elisabeth (fl. 1141), married Gervais, Count of Rethel and later Clarembaud de Roscy; * Flandrine, married Hugh of

Épinoy Épinoy (; ) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France southeast of Arras. Population See also *Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department The following is a list of the 887 communes of the Pas ...

. Sibylle and Godfrey divorced in 1105 because of her pregnancy by her lover

Enguerrand I, Lord of Coucy Enguerrand I ( 1042 – 1116) was the Lord of Coucy from 1086 until his death in 1116. Bishop Rorico of Amiens established canons at the Abbey of Saint-Acheul in 1085. The foundation charter records donations to Saint-Acheul by Count Enguerran o ...

. In 1109, Godfrey married Ermesinde (d. 24 June 1143), the daughter of Count Conrad I of Luxembourg and his wife

Clementia In Roman mythology and ancient religion, Clementia is the goddess of clemency, leniency, mercy, forgiveness, penance, redemption, absolution, acquittal, and salvation. Description She was defined as a celebrated virtue of Julius Caesar, who w ...

. She was the widow of Count Albert I of Egisheim-Dagsburg and Moha. Together, they had the following children: * Albert who died young (died about 1127) * Henry the Blind (d. 14 August 1196). He was Count of Luxembourg from 1136 until his death, and Count of Namur, Laroche, Durbuy and Longwy from 1139 to 1189. He was also

advocatus An , sometimes simply advocate, (German, ), or (French, ), was a type of medieval office holder, particularly important in the Holy Roman Empire, who was delegated some of the powers and functions of a major feudal lord, or for an institutio ...

of St. Maximin Abbey in

Trier Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...

and St. Willibrord Abbey in

Echternach Echternach (, ; or locally ) is a commune with town status in the canton of Echternach, in eastern Luxembourg. Echternach lies near the border with Germany, and is the oldest town in Luxembourg. History The town grew around the Abbey of Echt ...

. He married: *# Lauretta of Flanders (married ; divorced 1163, died ). She was a daughter of

Thierry of Alsace Theoderic (, , ; – 17 January 1168), commonly known as Thierry of Alsace, was the fifteenth count of Flanders from 1128 to 1168. With a record of four campaigns in the Levant and Africa (including participation in the Second Crusade, the faile ...

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 c ...

and Margaret of Clermont. She was the widow of Count Ivan of Aalst and of

Ralph I, Count of Vermandois Ralph I of Vermandois (French language, French: ''Raoul Ier'') (d. 14 October 1152) was Count of Vermandois. He was a son of Hugh, Count of Vermandois and his wife, Adelaide, Countess of Vermandois. Ralph was a grandson of Henry I of France, whil ...

; she had divorced

Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...

. *# in 1168 to Agnes, a daughter of Henry I, Count of Guelders * Clementia (d. 28 December 1158), married in 1130 to Duke Conrad I of Zähringen *

Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

, married to

Baldwin IV Baldwin IV (1161–1185), known as the Leper King, was the king of Jerusalem from 1174 until his death in 1185. He was admired by historians and his contemporaries for his dedication to the Kingdom of Jerusalem in the face of his debilitating ...

* Beatrix (d. 1160), married Ithier, Count of Rethel Emperor

Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (; ), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death in 1190. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March 115 ...

decided that Ermesinde was the heir to the County of

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

. The county was transferred to her son, who became count of Luxembourg as Henry IV.

References

Sources

* * Counts of Namur House of Namur 11th-century births 1139 deaths 11th-century nobility from the Holy Roman Empire 12th-century nobility from the Holy Roman Empire 12th-century counts in Europe Jure uxoris counts Remarried jure uxoris officeholders {{France-noble-stub