Baldwin I of Jerusalem fought for their brother, Godfrey of Bouillon, against Albert III, Count of Namur and Theoderic, Bishop of Verdun at Stenay in 1086. The childless Godfrey, who became duke of Lower Lotharingia in 1087, mentioned Baldwin in most of his charters of grant, indicating that Baldwin was regarded as his heir. Baldwin regularly visited the fortress of his wife's family at Conches-en-Ouche. Pope Urban II proclaimed the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont on 27November 1095. Godfrey of Bouillon decided to join the military campaign and sold or mortgaged his inherited domains to raise funds. One of his domains, the
First Crusade between Rome and Constantinople in the years immediately before the crusade. In July 1095, Urban turned to his homeland of France to recruit men for the expedition. His travels there culminated in the ten day Council of Clermont, where on Tuesday 27 November he gave an impassioned sermon to a large audience of French nobles and clergy. There are five versions of the speech recorded by people who may have been at the council (Baldric of Dol, Guibert of Nogent, Robert the Monk, and Fulcher of Chartres) or who went on crusade (Fulcher and the anonymous author of the Gesta