Godfrey of Bouillon Becomes Ruler of Jerusalem

Timeline

1. 1099Jerusalem · PalestineThe crusaders captured Jerusalem after more than a month-long siege, during which the city's Muslim and Jewish inhabitants were massacred on a large scale. After the siege, crusader leaders fiercely disputed how to divide the spoils and establish rule, urgently needing to elect a supreme ruler.
2. 1099Jerusalem · PalestineAfter Raymond IV politely declined, the crusader nobles and clergy elected Duke Godfrey of Bouillon of Lorraine as ruler. Godfrey accepted the title Defender of the Holy Sepulchre but refused to wear a crown, claiming he would not wear a golden diocese in the place of Christ's passion.
3. 1099–1100Jerusalem · PalestineGodfrey in practice exercised monarchical power, organizing defenses, distributing fiefs, and presiding over government affairs, but consistently avoided the title king. Later historians have much debated the nature of this title; it is generally held that his de facto rule was already the precursor to the Kingdom of Jerusalem.