King Louis IX, born 1214, was a renowned monarch noted for his kindness and fair dealings with his people. In the mid-thirteenth century he led the Seventh Crusade and died on the eight crusade twenty years later. The French people honoured his steadfastness, chivalry and good works, and in 1297, he was canonized a saint.
Louis Ascends the French Throne
Louis was the fourth child of King Louis VIII, but the oldest son to survive. After his father’s death in 1226, Louis ascended the French throne at the age of twelve. In the early years of his rule, his mother, Blanche of Castile, ruled as regent. With the help of his mother, Louis successfully strengthened royal authority by imposing a treaty on the Count of Toulouse to end a dispute over the Languedoc. At the age of fifteen, Louis led the French troops to meet the invading Henry III. An impending war was avoided when Henry III surrendered to him, renewing the truce that existed between the two monarchs.
In 1234 Louis assumed total control of the French crown. In the same year, Blanche chose Margaret, daughter of the Count of Provence, as Louis’s bride and the two married. Eight years later, in 1242, another rebellion took place. King Henry returned to France with an even greater army, and most of the nobles in western France joined his forces. Louis met King Henry and his large army once more and ended the potential war with another truce. Shortly after his victory, King Louis came down with Malaria.
King Louis IX and the Seventh Crusade
During his illness, King Louis IX became concerned with the plight of John of Brienne, emperor of Constantine and of the Christian strongholds in the Holy land. In his recovery, he made plans to lead a crusade, the Seventh Crusade, to recapture the Holy land from the Muslims. Louis finally set off with 100 ships, 35,000 men and left his mother behind to rule as regent in his place.
The Seventh Crusade ended in failure when King Louis was captured by his Muslim opponents. As many as 30,000 Christian soldiers were killed in the event of Louis IX’s capture. King Louis eventually negotiated his release and that of his barons by paying a huge ransom to the Muslims. After his release Louis did not return to France. He spent the next four years in Palestine making improvements to the personal and social lives of the Christian people. The Muslims admired Louis IX’s just treatment of all Christian people. Louis IX returned to France in 1252 after learning of his mother’s death.
The good works of King Louis IX
Upon his return, King Louis IX immediately set to work to correct the abuses that had been made by his officials during his absence. He appointed investigators and passed two ordinances outlining the responsibilities and duties of royal officials. King Louis IX treated his clergy the same as his barons, and extended royal justice to all his subjects. He also cared for the sick and the infirm and regularly gave money to the poor. King Louis also imposed peace between the warring factions of his nobility without the use of violence and secured peace with Henry III.
However, the dismal conditions in the Holy land continued to haunt Louis IX. In 1269 he decided to lead the Eighth Crusade against the Muslims in Africa. In Tunis, after a series of victories, Louis’s army was struck with plague. King Louis died in 1270 at the age of 56.
The good works King Louis IX did the nineteen years between his crusades made him the ideal King in history. His people revered King Louis IX as a saintly and just King who brought peace and fairness to all his subjects. He was canonized a Saint twenty seven years after his death.
Sources
Melissa Snell, “King Louis IX of France: A Concise Biography,” http://historymedren.about.com/od/lwho/a/bio_louis_ix.htm (accessed 6 January 2009).
Dennis Sherman and Joyce Salisbury, The West in the World: A Mid-Length Narrative History. 2nd ed. McGraw Hill: New York, 2004.
Soylent Communications, “Louis IX,” (2008) http://www.nndb.com/people (accessed 6 January 2009).
