Geoffroy le Rat

Quarterly: 1 and 4, gu a cross arg; 2 and 3, az a unicorn saliant arg

Geoffroy le Rat
Gothofiedus Mus

Tenure 1206-1210

Nationality French

Birth

Death 1210

Notes
d'Avity's account:
In the year Grandmaster Afonso abdicated, namely 1194*, Geoffrey le Rat, who was Grand Prior (archimandrite) in France, was elected Grandmaster. Saladin (also) died and was succeeded by his son Nureddin, Lord of Aleppo. At that time Simon Count Montfort was sent by King Philip Augustus with an army to Syria where he spent 10 years fighting the infidels during which, in 1198 a serious dispute broke out between the Hospitallers and Templars: the Hospitallers had complained that the Templars had invaded their jurisdiction with contempt and violence. After much furious contention, the conflict was settled through the intervention of King Amalric, the Patriarchs of Antioch and Jerusalem and other Christian Princes, who brought the matter to an end by submitting to the arbitration and sentence of Innocent III.
This outcome was of great advantage to the Christians in the east since, after God, their sole hope depended on the friendship and harmony between those two military orders. King Amalric de Lusignan himself proposed to the Pope that, if the Grandmaster and Knights of St John so recommended, he would entrust the administration of his kingdom of Cyprus to them. In 1205 King Amalric died, and Queen Isabella instituted as heir her daughter Maria, who was adopted by Conrad of Montferrat with the Hospitallers and Templars as guardians. Grandmaster le Rat departed this life in 1210
13. Eodem anno, quo Alphonsus magno Magisterio se abdicavit, nempe anno MCXCIV. Gothofiedus Mus, qui erat magnus Galliae archimandrita, electus fuit in magnum Magistrum, et obiit Saladini, cui successit filius ipsius Noradinus, Dominus Alepi. Tempore ipsius Simon Comes montfortius missus fuit a rege Philippo Augusto cum exercitu in Syriam: ubi omnia confusa inveniens inducias decem annorum cum infidelibus pepigit, anno MCXCVIII. quibus durantibus magnum dissidium inter Hospitales et Templarios ortum est, cum Hospitales quererentur, Templarios suam iurisdictionem invasisse, eam que contempsisse et violasse: quod dissidium post multa certamina et furiosos conflictus sedatum et compositum fuit interventu regis Amaurii, Antiocheni et Ierosolymitani patriarcharum, aliorumque Principum et Praesulum Christianorum, qui effecerunt, ut arbitrio et sententiae Innocentii III. se submitterent.
Quod rebus Christianorum in oriente magnum emolumentum attulit. Nam post Deum unica earum spes et fulcrum ab amicitia et concordia horum duorum ordinum militatium dependebat. Ipse rex Amaurius Lusignanus eundem Pontificem rogavit, ut se magno Magistro et Equitibus S. Ioannis commendaret, quibus administrationem regni sui Cypri commisit. Anno MCCV. obiit rex amaurius, et regina Isabella, quae heredem instituit mariam filiam suam, quam Conradus Monferratensis ex Ipsa susceperat: cui tutores dedit Hospitales et Templarios. Anno MCCX. magnus Magister mus ex hac vita migravit:
Sources:
Avity, Pierre d'; Gottfried, Johann Ludwig: Archontologiae Cosmicae, Liber III: Origo Ordinum Militarium, tam Regularium, Dissertatio de Ordine Equitum Melitensum, p.34 Frankfurt am Main, 1628
Boisgelin, Louis de: Ancient and Modern Malta, and the History of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, 3 Volumes bound together. G & J Robinson, London 1804.
Pauli, Sebastiano: Codice diplomatico del sacro militare ordine gerosolimitano, 2 volumes, Salvatore e Giandomenico Marescandoli, Lucca, 1733 (Vol.1) & 1737 (Vol.2)
*In fact, he must have succeeded Afonso de Portugal after 1202. Afonso's predecessor, Geoffroy de Donjon died after 1201 since he appears on Act of Donation dated 4.5.1201in which a "Cristiana, daughter of Ruggiero di Caisa, having been made a co-sister of the Hospital, donated to the same Hospital, a village called Digegni under confirmation of Roardo, then Lord of Caisas." Codice Diplomatico No 96 reproduced in Paoli's Codice Diplomatico, Vol I, p.92

Blazon Quarterly: 1 and 4, gu a cross arg; 2 and 3, az a unicorn saliant arg [R/U]

Engraving by Antonio F. Lucini of Matteo Perez d'Aleccio's fresco


Tenure	1206-1210
Nationality	French

Birth
Death	1210
Notes	d'Avity's account: In the year Grandmaster Afonso abdicated, namely 1194, Geoffrey le Rat, who was Grand Prior (archimandrite) in France, was elected Grandmaster. Saladin (also) died and was succeeded by his son Nureddin, Lord of Aleppo. At that time Simon Count Montfort was sent by King Philip Augustus with an army to Syria where he spent 10 years fighting the infidels during which, in 1198 a serious dispute broke out between the Hospitallers and Templars: the Hospitallers had complained that the Templars had invaded their jurisdiction with contempt and violence. After much furious contention, the conflict was settled through the intervention of King Amalric, the Patriarchs of Antioch and Jerusalem and other Christian Princes, who brought the matter to an end by submitting to the arbitration and sentence of Innocent III. This outcome was of great advantage to the Christians in the east since, after God, their sole hope depended on the friendship and harmony between those two military orders. King Amalric de Lusignan himself proposed to the Pope that, if the Grandmaster and Knights of St John so recommended, he would entrust the administration of his kingdom of Cyprus to them. In 1205 King Amalric died, and Queen Isabella instituted as heir her daughter Maria, who was adopted by Conrad of Montferrat with the Hospitallers and Templars as guardians. Grandmaster le Rat departed this life in 1210 13. Eodem anno, quo Alphonsus magno Magisterio se abdicavit, nempe anno MCXCIV. Gothofiedus Mus, qui erat magnus Galliae archimandrita, electus fuit in magnum Magistrum, et obiit Saladini, cui successit filius ipsius Noradinus, Dominus Alepi. Tempore ipsius Simon Comes montfortius missus fuit a rege Philippo Augusto cum exercitu in Syriam: ubi omnia confusa inveniens inducias decem annorum cum infidelibus pepigit, anno MCXCVIII. quibus durantibus magnum dissidium inter Hospitales et Templarios ortum est, cum Hospitales quererentur, Templarios suam iurisdictionem invasisse, eam que contempsisse et violasse: quod dissidium post multa certamina et furiosos conflictus sedatum et compositum fuit interventu regis Amaurii, Antiocheni et Ierosolymitani patriarcharum, aliorumque Principum et Praesulum Christianorum, qui effecerunt, ut arbitrio et sententiae Innocentii III. se submitterent. Quod rebus Christianorum in oriente magnum emolumentum attulit. Nam post Deum unica earum spes et fulcrum ab amicitia et concordia horum duorum ordinum militatium dependebat. Ipse rex Amaurius Lusignanus eundem Pontificem rogavit, ut se magno Magistro et Equitibus S. Ioannis commendaret, quibus administrationem regni sui Cypri commisit. Anno MCCV. obiit rex amaurius, et regina Isabella, quae heredem instituit mariam filiam suam, quam Conradus Monferratensis ex Ipsa susceperat: cui tutores dedit Hospitales et Templarios. Anno MCCX. magnus Magister mus ex hac vita migravit: Sources:* Avity, Pierre d'; Gottfried, Johann Ludwig: Archontologiae Cosmicae, Liber III: Origo Ordinum Militarium, tam Regularium, Dissertatio de Ordine Equitum Melitensum, p.34 Frankfurt am Main, 1628 Boisgelin, Louis de: Ancient and Modern Malta, and the History of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, 3 Volumes bound together. G & J Robinson, London 1804. Pauli, Sebastiano: Codice diplomatico del sacro militare ordine gerosolimitano, 2 volumes, Salvatore e Giandomenico Marescandoli, Lucca, 1733 (Vol.1) & 1737 (Vol.2) *In fact, he must have succeeded Afonso de Portugal after 1202. Afonso's predecessor, Geoffroy de Donjon died after 1201 since he appears on Act of Donation dated 4.5.1201in which a "Cristiana, daughter of Ruggiero di Caisa, having been made a co-sister of the Hospital, donated to the same Hospital, a village called Digegni under confirmation of Roardo, then Lord of Caisas." Codice Diplomatico No 96 reproduced in Paoli's Codice Diplomatico, Vol I, p.92
Blazon	Quarterly: 1 and 4, gu a cross arg; 2 and 3, az a unicorn saliant arg [R/U]