Louis IX of France

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"Louis IX" redirects here. For other uses, see Louis IX (disambiguation).
Louis IX
Louis VIII
SuccessorPhilip III
Regents
See list
Born25 April 1214
Basilica of St Denis and Monreale Cathedral
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1234)​
Issue
among others...
Louis VIII, King of France
MotherBlanche of Castile
ReligionCatholic Church
Painting of Louis IX by Emile Signol

Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly revered as Saint Louis, was

vassals and championed the Capetian cause in the Albigensian Crusade
, which had been ongoing for the past two decades.

As an adult, Louis IX grappled with persistent conflicts involving some of the most influential nobles in his kingdom, including

the Holy Land. He was captured and ransomed during the Seventh Crusade, and later succumbed to dysentery during the Eighth Crusade. His son, Philip III
, succeeded him.

Louis instigated significant reforms in the

medieval France, and he held immense respect throughout Christendom. His reputation as a fair and judicious ruler led to his being solicited to mediate disputes beyond his own kingdom.[1][2]

Louis' admirers through the centuries have celebrated him as the quintessential Christian monarch. His skill as a knight and engaging manner with the public contributed to his popularity, although he was occasionally criticized as being overly pious, earning the moniker of a "

canonized king of France.[5]

Sources

Much of what is known of Louis's life comes from Jean de Joinville's famous Life of Saint Louis. Joinville was a close friend, confidant, and counselor to the king. He participated as a witness in the papal inquest into Louis's life that resulted in his canonization in 1297 by Pope Boniface VIII.

Two other important biographies were written by the king's confessor, Geoffrey of Beaulieu, and his chaplain, William of Chartres. While several individuals wrote biographies in the decades following the king's death, only Jean of Joinville, Geoffrey of Beaulieu, and William of Chartres wrote from personal knowledge of the king and of the events they describe, and all three are biased favorably to the king. The fourth important source of information is William of Saint-Parthus's 19th-century biography,[6] which he wrote using material from the papal inquest mentioned above.

Early life

Louis was born on 25 April 1214 at

Tutors of Blanche's choosing taught him Latin, public speaking, writing, military arts, and government.[8] He was nine years old when his grandfather Philip II died and his father became King Louis VIII.[9]

Minority (1226–1234)

Louis was 12 years old when his father died on 8 November 1226. He was crowned king within the month at Reims Cathedral. His mother, Blanche, ruled France as regent during his minority.[10] Louis's mother instilled in him her devout Christianity. She is once recorded to have said:[11]

I love you, my dear son, as much as a mother can love her child; but I would rather see you dead at my feet than that you should ever commit a mortal sin.

His younger brother

Capetian Angevin
dynasty.

In 1229, when Louis was 15, his mother ended the

Cathars.[12]

On 27 May 1234, Louis married Margaret of Provence (1221–1295); she was crowned in the cathedral of Sens the next day.[13] Margaret was the sister of Eleanor of Provence, who later married Henry III of England. The new queen's religious zeal made her a well-suited partner for the king, and they are attested to have gotten along well, enjoying riding together, reading, and listening to music. His closeness to Margaret aroused jealousy in his mother, who tried to keep the couple apart as much as she could.[14]

While his contemporaries viewed his reign as co-rule between the king and his mother, historians generally believe Louis began ruling personally in 1234, with his mother assuming a more advisory role.[1] She continued to have a strong influence on the king until her death in 1252.[10][15]

Louis as king

Arts

Arsenal Bible, both deluxe illuminated manuscripts
.

During the so-called "golden century of Saint Louis", the kingdom of France was at its height in Europe, both politically and economically. Saint Louis was regarded as "primus inter pares", first among equals, among the kings and rulers of the continent. He commanded the largest army and ruled the largest and wealthiest kingdom, the European centre of arts and intellectual thought at the time. The foundations for the notable college of theology, later known as the Sorbonne, were laid in Paris about the year 1257.[16]

Arbitration

Seal of Louis IX, legend: lvdovicvs di gra(tia) francorvm rex
("Louis, by the grace of God, king of the Franks")

The prestige and respect felt by Europeans for King Louis IX were due more to the appeal of his personality than to military domination. For his contemporaries, he was the quintessential example of the Christian prince and embodied the whole of Christendom in his person. His reputation for fairness and even saintliness was already well established while he was alive, and on many occasions he was chosen as an arbiter in quarrels among the rulers of Europe.[1]

Shortly before 1256,

Louvre by his sergeants. Enguerrand demanded judgment by his peers and trial by battle, which the king refused because he thought it obsolete. Enguerrand was tried, sentenced, and ordered to pay 12,000 livres. Part of the money was to pay for masses
to be said in perpetuity for the souls of the men he had hanged.

In 1258, Louis and James I of Aragon signed the Treaty of Corbeil to end areas of contention between them. By this treaty, Louis renounced his feudal overlordship over the County of Barcelona and Roussillon, which was held by the King of Aragon. James in turn renounced his feudal overlordship over several counties in southern France, including Provence and Languedoc. In 1259 Louis signed the Treaty of Paris, by which Henry III of England was confirmed in his possession of territories in southwestern France, and Louis received the provinces of Anjou, Normandy (Normandie), Poitou, Maine, and Touraine.[10]

Religion

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The perception of Louis IX by his contemporaries as the exemplary Christian prince was reinforced by his religious zeal. Louis was an extremely devout Catholic, and he built the

Basilica of Saint Dominic, Bologna
, Italy

In 1230, the King forbade all forms of

Innocent IV.[5]

Louis also expanded the scope of the

Cathar
sect had been strongest. The rate of confiscation of property from the Cathars and others reached its highest levels in the years before his first crusade and slowed upon his return to France in 1254.

In 1250, Louis headed a crusade to Egypt and was taken prisoner. During his captivity, he recited the Divine Office every day. After his release against ransom, he visited the Holy Land before returning to France.[11] In these deeds, Louis IX tried to fulfill what he considered the duty of France as "the eldest daughter of the Church" (la fille aînée de l'Église), a tradition of protector of the Church going back to the Franks and Charlemagne, who had been crowned by Pope Leo III in Rome in 800. The kings of France were known in the Church by the title "most Christian king" (Rex Christianissimus).

Louis founded many hospitals and houses: the House of the

Quinze-Vingt for 300 blind men (1254), and hospitals at Pontoise, Vernon, and Compiégne.[19]

St. Louis installed a house of the

Trinitarian Order at Fontainebleau, his chateau and estate near Paris. He chose Trinitarians as his chaplains and was accompanied by them on his crusades. In his spiritual testament he wrote, "My dearest son, you should permit yourself to be tormented by every kind of martyrdom before you would allow yourself to commit a mortal sin."[11]

Louis authored and sent the Enseignements, or teachings, to his son Philip III. The letter outlined how Philip should follow the example of Jesus Christ in order to be a moral leader.[20] The letter is estimated to have been written in 1267, three years before Louis's death.[21]

Personal reign (1235–1266)

Seventh Crusade

Louis IX was taken prisoner at the Battle of Fariskur, during the Seventh Crusade (Gustave Doré).
Main article: Seventh Crusade

Louis and his followers landed in Egypt on 4 or 5 June 1249 and began their campaign with the capture of the port of

Mamluks
.

On 8 February 1250, Louis lost his army at the

livres tournois (roughly 80 million USD today) and the surrender of the city of Damietta.[24]

Four years in the Kingdom of Jerusalem

Upon his liberation from captivity in Egypt, Louis IX devoted four years to fortifying the Kingdom of Jerusalem, focusing his efforts in Acre, Caesarea, and Jaffa. He generously utilized his resources to aid the Crusaders in reconstructing their defenses[25] and actively engaged in diplomatic endeavors with the Ayyubid dynasty. In the spring of 1254, Louis and his remaining forces made their return to France.[22]

Louis maintained regular correspondence and envoy exchanges with the

Persia.[26] Eljigidei proposed that Louis should launch an offensive in Egypt while he targeted Baghdad to prevent the unification of the Muslim forces in Egypt and Syria. In response, Louis sent André de Longjumeau, a Dominican priest, as a delegate to the Khangan Güyük Khan (r. 1246–1248) in Mongolia. However, Güyük's death preceded the arrival of the emissary, and his widow and acting regent, Oghul Qaimish, rejected the diplomatic proposition.[27]

Louis sent another representative, the

Hulegu, sent a letter to the French king, soliciting his military aid; this letter, however, never reached France.[29]

Later reign (1267–1270)

Eighth Crusade and death

Death of Saint Louis: On 25 August 1270, Saint Louis dies in his tent, ornamented with royal symbols, near Tunis. Illuminated by Jean Fouquet, Grandes Chroniques de France (1455–1460)

In a parliament held at Paris, 24 March 1267, Louis and his three sons "took the cross." On hearing the reports of the missionaries, Louis resolved to land at

Edward Longshanks, landed at Carthage 17 July 1270, but disease broke out in the camp.[25]

Louis died at Tunis on 25 August 1270, in an epidemic of dysentery that swept through his army.[30][31][32] According to European custom, his body was subjected to the process known as mos Teutonicus prior to his remains being returned to France.[33] Louis was succeeded as King of France by his son, Philip III.

Louis's younger brother,

Saint-Denis in May 1271[35] Charles and Philip III later dispersed a number of relics to promote Louis's veneration.[36]

Children

  1. Blanche (12 July/4 December 1240 – 29 April 1244), died in infancy.[7]
  2. Isabella (2 March 1241 – 28 January 1271), married Theobald II of Navarre.[37]
  3. Louis (23 September 1243/24 February 1244 – 11 January/2 February 1260). Betrothed to Berengaria of Castile in Paris on 20 August 1255.[38]
  4. Philip III (1 May 1245 – 5 October 1285), married firstly to Isabella of Aragon in 1262 and secondly to Maria of Brabant in 1274.
  5. John (1246/1247 – 10 March 1248), died in infancy.[7]
  6. John Tristan (8 April 1250 – 3 August 1270), Count of Valois, married Yolande II, Countess of Nevers.[7]
  7. Joanne of Châtillon
    .
  8. Ferdinand de la Cerda, Infante of Castile.[7]
  9. Margaret (early 1255 – July 1271), married John I, Duke of Brabant.[7]
  10. Robert (1256 – 7 February 1317), Count of Clermont,[7] married Beatrice of Burgundy. The French crown devolved upon his male-line descendant, Henry IV (the first Bourbon king), when the legitimate male line of Philip III died out in 1589.
  11. Agnes (1260 – 19/20 December 1327), married Robert II, Duke of Burgundy.[7]

Louis and Margaret's two children who died in infancy were first buried at the

Saint-Denis Basilica.[39]

Ancestry

Veneration as a saint

grooms

Pope Boniface VIII proclaimed the canonization of Louis in 1297;[40] he is the only French king to be declared a saint.[41] Louis IX is often considered the model of the ideal Christian monarch.[40]

Named in his honour, the Sisters of Charity of St. Louis is a Roman Catholic religious order founded in Vannes, France, in 1803.[42] A similar order, the Sisters of St Louis, was founded in Juilly in 1842.[43][44]

He is honoured as co-patron of the

Third Order of St. Francis, which claims him as a member of the Order. When he became king, over a hundred poor people were served meals in his house on ordinary days. Often the king served these guests himself. His acts of charity, coupled with his devout religious practices, gave rise to the legend that he joined the Third Order of St. Francis, though it is unlikely that he ever actually joined the order.[8]

The Catholic Church and

Episcopal Church honor him with a feast day on 25 August.[45][46]

Things named after Saint Louis

Places

Many countries in which French speakers and Catholicism were prevalent named places after King Louis:

Buildings

Notable portraits

In fiction

Music

  • Arnaud du Prat, Paris canon; Rhymed, chanted office for St. Louis, 1290, Sens Bib. Mun. MS6, and elsewhere.
  • Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Motet for Saint Louis, H.320, for 1 voice, 2 treble instruments (?) and continuo 1675.
  • Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Motet In honorem santi Ludovici Regis Galliae canticum tribus vocibus cum symphonia, H.323, for 3 voices, 2 treble instruments and continuo (1678 ?)
  • Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Motet In honorem Sancti Ludovici regis Galliae, H.332, for 3 voices, 2 treble instruments and continuo 1683)
  • Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Motet In honorem Sancti Ludovici regis Galliae canticum, H.365 & H.365 a, for soloists, chorus, woodwinds, strings and continuo (1690)
  • Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Motet In honorem Sancti Ludovici regis Galliae, H.418, for soloists, chorus, 2 flutes, 2 violins and continuo (1692–93)

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Goyau, Georges. 'St. Louis IX.' The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 24 Feb. 2013". Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Louis IX, king of France". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  3. ^ Bouquet, Martin (1840–1904). Recueil des historiens des Gaules et de la France. Tome 23 / [éd. par Dom Martin Bouquet,...] ; nouv. éd. publ. sous la dir. de M. Léopold Delisle,... (in French).
  4. ^ a b Bobineau, Olivier (8 December 2011). "Retour de l'ordre religieux ou signe de bonne santé de notre pluralisme laïc ?". Le Monde.fr (in French). Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  5. ^ a b "The Pope Who Saved the Talmud". The 5 Towns Jewish Times. 15 June 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  6. ^ Vie de St Louis, ed. H.-F. Delaborde, Paris, 1899
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Richard 1983, p. xxiv.
  8. ^ a b "Saint Louis, King of France, Archdiocese of St. Louis, MO". Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  9. ^ Plaque in the church, Collégiale Notre-Dame, Poissy, France.
  10. ^ a b c "Louis IX". Encarta. Microsoft Corporation. 2008.
  11. ^
    ISBN 971-91595-4-5
    .
  12. ^ Sumption 1978, p. 15.
  13. ^ Richard 1983, p. 64.
  14. ^ Richard 1983, p. 65.
  15. ^ Shadis 2010, pp. 17–19.
  16. ^ a b c "St. Louis IX of France | EWTN". EWTN Global Catholic Television Network. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  17. ^ Guerry, Emily (18 April 2019). "Dr". The Conversation. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  18. ^ "Burning of the Talmud". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  19. ^ Goyau, Pierre-Louis-Théophile-Georges (1910). "St. Louis IX" . Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 9.
  20. ^ Greer Fein, Susanna. "Art. 94, Enseignements de saint Lewis a Philip soun fitz: Introduction | Robbins Library Digital Projects". d.lib.rochester.edu. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  21. ^ O'Connell, David (1972). The teachings of Saint Louis; a critical text. Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina Press. pp. 46–49.
  22. ^ a b "Crusades: Crusades of the 13th century". Encarta. Microsoft Corporation. 2009. Archived from the original on 28 October 2009.
  23. ^ Tyerman 2006, p. 787.
  24. ^ Tyerman 2006, p. 796.
  25. ^ a b "Bréhier, Louis. "Crusades." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 24 Feb. 2013". Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  26. ^ Jackson 1980, p. 481-513.
  27. ISBN 978-0813513041
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  28. JSTOR 41933117
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  30. ^ Magill & Aves 1998, p. 606.
  31. ^ Cross & Livingstone 2005, p. 1004.
  32. ^ Lock 2013, p. 183.
  33. ^ Westerhof 2008, p. 79.
  34. ^ Gaposchkin 2008, p. 28.
  35. ^ Gaposchkin 2008, pp. 28–29.
  36. ^ Gaposchkin 2008, pp. 28–30, 76.
  37. ^ Jordan 2017, p. 25.
  38. ^ Jordan 2017, pp. 25–26.
  39. ^ Brown 1990, p. 810.
  40. ^ a b Louis IX, Oxford Dictionary of Saints, (Oxford University Press, 2004), 326.
  41. ISBN 978-0852295717
    .
  42. ^ "Who We Are". Sisters of Charity of St. Louis. 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  43. ^ "Our Father and Patron St. Louis / St. Louis, King of France, 1214–1270 AD" St. Louis Handbook for Schools. Sisters of St Louis. p. 8.
  44. ^ "Our history". Sisters of St Louis. 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  45. ^ "Optional Memorial of Saint Louis of France | USCCB". bible.usccb.org. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  46. ISBN 978-1-64065-235-4
    .
  47. ^ Mazas, Alexandre (1860). Histoire de l'ordre royal et Militaire de Saint-Louis depuis son institution en 1693 jusqu'en 1830 (in French). Firmin Didot frères, fils et Cie. p. 28.
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  54. ^ "San Luis, Batangas: Historical Data". Batangas History, Culture & Folklore. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
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  63. JSTOR 27655211
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  70. ISBN 978-8866446620
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Bibliography

External links

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Louis IX of France
Born: 25 April 1214 Died: 25 August 1270
Regnal titles
Preceded by
Louis VIII
King of France

8 November 1226 – 25 August 1270 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Louis_IX_of_France&oldid=1219452724"