All about the Castle of Bouillon, Belgium (links-1)
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Castle of Bouillon: Though the first mention of Bouillon is in a text dating from 988, there can be no doubt that it existed for centuries before then. Experts agree that the name goes back to the Gallo-Roman period. In the absence of conclusive documentation it is not possible to put forward any precise date for the foundation of the castle. (...)

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 		Bouillon Castle, Luxembourg province. Overlooking a loop in the River Semois, Chateau de Fort Bouillon was begun in 1050 by Godfrey the Bearded. But the family it is perhaps better noted for Godfrey IV de Bouillon who took part in the First Crusade of 1096.  He sold his estates to the prince-bishop of Liege, possibly to finance the Crusade. (...)

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The statue of Godfrey de Bouillon, Duke of Lower Lorraine. Since the mid 18th century, an equestrian statue of Godfrey of Bouillon stands in the center of the Royal Square (French: Place Royale, Nl.: Koningsplein), to the west of the Royal Palace, and close to Parc de Brussels, former hunting ground of the Dukes of Brabant, in Brussels, Belgium. The statue was made by Eugène Simonis, and inaugurated on August 24, 1848.

Driven by religious convictions and a strong sense of adventure, Godfrey de Bouillon joined in the First Crusade in 1096. His brothers, Eustace and Baudouin (Baldwin), also went along. (...)

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 There are no precise dates for the foundation of the castle. What is obvious, however, is that it was built to control the north-south passage between Upper and Lower Lotharingia. Popular belief has it that Turpin, Lord of Ardenne, had a fortification constructed on the hill above the valley of the Semois. A true fortified castle was only constructed around 1050 - 1067 under Godfrey III. The Dukes of the House of Ardenne owned the castle until 1096, when Godfrey (the fifth*) sold it. For almost six centuries the castle remained property of the Prince-bishops of Liège until they lost it to the Tour d'Avergnes - La Marck family in 1678. The castle had been taken after a 20 day siege by the troops of Louis XIV of France. Parts of the castle where changed during that time by Vauban, the great French military architect. Later, during the Dutch period... (more)
* This is an error in this text: it should be (the fourth) - Webmaster of All About All Crusades.

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The Duchy of Bouillon: The small town of Bouillon is in Belgium, province of Luxembourg; its population was 5,577 in 1994. Until 1795, it was an independent territory whose story is told here. Some documents are presented in the original French in an appendix.
Origins: It was part of Lotharingia and later (in 959) Lower Lorraine.; in one reference it is called an allodial domain in the county of Ardenne. In 1082, Godefroi de Bouillon, son of Eustace de Boulogne and UIda of Ardenne, and nephew of Godefroi the Hunchback, inherited the duchy of Lower Lorraine. When the First Crusade was called, he decided to join it. To finance his participation, he sold Bouillon to Orbert, bishop of Liége, for 1300 marks of silver and 3 marks of gold (1 mark=230g), with the assent of his mother (Gilles d'Orval, vie d'Orbert). He went on to take part in the capture of Jerusalem (1099); he turned down the crown of the newly formed kingdom, preferring the title of Guardian of the Holy Sepulchre, and died in 1100. The contract gave to Godefroy and his next three successors the right to repurchase the duchy at the same price, failing which the duchy would remain in perpetual possession of the bishopric of Liége. The option was not exercised.
It is not clear when the title of "Duke of Bouillon" appears, but it was certainly later than Godefroy. The bishops of Liège styled themselves "par la grâce de Dieu évêque de Liège, duc de Bouillon, comte de Looz, etc", starting with Jean de Hinsbergh in 1456, and every bishop did so until 1794. In fact, the presentday arms and flag of the province of Liège include a quarter with the arms of Bouillon.
Most likely, ducal rank was attached to the territory because it had once been part of the duchy of Lower Lorraine; just as Brabant inherited the title of duchy. By the Modern era, it does not appear that Bouillon was considered a part of the Holy Roman Empire: it is not listed in standard 18th century references. The arms of the duchy of Bouillon were: Gules a fess argent (identical to the arms of Austria)... | much more: Read the full article |

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F. DUKE of LOWER LOTHARINGIA 1087-1100, HOUSE of COMTES de BOULOGNE

GODEFROI IV 1087-1100

IDA of Lotharingia, daughter of GODEFROI II Duke of Lower Lotharingia & his first wife Doda --- (-13 Aug 1113). m as his second wife, EUSTACHE II Comte de Boulogne, son of EUSTACHE I Comte de Boulogne & his wife Mathilde de Louvain (-[1072/82]).
Comte Eustache II & his wife had three children:
1. other children: - see BOULOGNE.
2. GODEFROI de Boulogne ([1060]-in Palestine [18 Jul 1100], bur Jerusalem). "Godefridi et Balduini" are named sons of "Ida comitisse Boloniensis" in the latter's charter for the soul of her husband[256]. William of Tyre records "Godefridus Lotharingiæ dux" as brother of Baudouin and Eustache, and son of Comte Eustache and of Ida sister of Godefroi "Struma" Duke of Lotharingia[257]. Designated heir by his maternal uncle, on the latter's death in 1076 he inherited the county of Verdun, the allods of Stenay and Mouzay, and the castle of Bouillon with its dependencies. The inheritance was disputed by many parties. Theoderic Bishop of Verdun seized the opportunity to end the hereditary succession in the county of Verdun by bestowing it on Matilda of Tuscany, who granted it to Albert III Comte de Namur as guardian of her interests in Lotharingia. The emperor conferred the duchy of Lotharingia on his infant son Konrad with Albert III Comte de Namur as vice-duke, although he did create Godefroi as Markgraf van Antwerpen. When his predecessor Konrad Duke of Lower Lotharingia was crowned King of Germany in 1087, Godefroi de Boulogne was installed as GODEFROI IV Duke of Lower Lotharingia [258]. Known as "Godefroi de Bouillon", after the castle which he inherited from his mother's family and which became his centre of operations. Leader of the First Crusade in 1096, he disposed of his properties to fund the expedition, although he retained the title duke. The crusading army reached Jerusalem 7 Jun 1099 and captured the city 15 Jul 1099. The electoral council chose him as ruler of Jerusalem 22 Jul 1099, and after considerable debate about the correct title to adopt, he became GODEFROI princeps of Jerusalem.