Louis IX 'le Saint' ""Saint Louis"" de France roi de France (1214-1270) » Family tree Homs

Personal data Louis IX 'le Saint' ""Saint Louis"" de France roi de France

Sources 1, 2

Alternative names: Louis IX, Louis IX (St. Louis), Louis
Nickname is "Saint Louis".
He was born on April 25, 1214 in Poissy, Ile-de-France, FrancePoissy, Ile-de-France.
He was christened in tomb of the kings of France.
Alternative: He was christened in Tomb Of The Kings Of France.
Alternative: He was christened in crusader.
Alternative: He was christened in crusader.
Alternative: He was christened in Tomb Of The Kings Of France.
Alternative: He was christened in crusader.
Alternative: He was christened in Tomb Of The Kings Of France.
Alternative: He was christened on September 21, 1215.
Alternative: He was christened on September 21, 1215.
Alternative: He was christened on September 21, 1215.
Alternative: He was christened on September 21, 1215.
Alternative: He was christened on September 21, 1215.
Alternative: He was christened on September 21, 1215.
Alternative: He was christened on September 21, 1215.
Alternative: He was christened on September 21, 1215.
Alternative: He was christened on September 21, 1215.
Alternative: He was christened on September 21, 1215.
Alternative: He was christened on September 21, 1215.
Alternative: He was christened on September 21, 1215.
Alternative: He was christened on September 21, 1215.
Alternative: He was christened on September 21, 1215.
Alternative: He was christened on September 21, 1215.
Alternative: He was christened on September 21, 1215.
Alternative: He was christened on September 21, 1215.
Alternative: He was christened on September 21, 1215.
Alternative: He was christened on November 29, 1226 in Reims, France - crowned aka St. Louis.
Alternative: He was christened on December 1, 1226.
He was baptized on September 21, 1215.
Baptized (at 8 years of age or later) by the priesthood authority of the LDS church.
Alternative: Baptized (at 8 years of age or later) by the priesthood authority of the LDS church.
Alternative: Baptized (at 8 years of age or later) by the priesthood authority of the LDS church.
Alternative: Baptized (at 8 years of age or later) by the priesthood authority of the LDS church on June 24, 1933.
Alternative: Baptized (at 8 years of age or later) by the priesthood authority of the LDS church on June 24, 1933.
Alternative: Baptized (at 8 years of age or later) by the priesthood authority of the LDS church on June 24, 1933.
Alternative: Baptized (at 8 years of age or later) by the priesthood authority of the LDS church on June 24, 1933.
Alternative: Baptized (at 8 years of age or later) by the priesthood authority of the LDS church on June 24, 1933.
Alternative: Baptized (at 8 years of age or later) by the priesthood authority of the LDS church on June 24, 1933.
Alternative: Baptized (at 8 years of age or later) by the priesthood authority of the LDS church on June 24, 1933.
Alternative: Baptized (at 8 years of age or later) by the priesthood authority of the LDS church on June 24, 1933.
Alternative: Baptized (at 8 years of age or later) by the priesthood authority of the LDS church on June 24, 1933 in ARIZO.
Alternative: Baptized (at 8 years of age or later) by the priesthood authority of the LDS church on June 24, 1933.
Alternative: Baptized (at 8 years of age or later) by the priesthood authority of the LDS church on June 24, 1933.
Occupations:

.
in King of France.
.
{geni:job_title} Roi de France (1226-1270)
.
.
{geni:job_title} Kung av Frankrike
about 1226 TO ABT 1270 in King of France.
about 1226 TO ABT 1270 in Paris, Ile-de-France, France.
{geni:job_title} Roi de France
about 1226 in King of France.
about 1226 TO ABT 1270 in France.

Resident: (Le Louvre) Palais de la CitµÅÆ.
He died on August 25, 1270 in Carthage, Tunis, Tunisia, he was 56 years oldCarthage, Tunis.
He is buried on August 25, 1270 in Saint-Denis, FranceSaint-Denis.
A child of Louis VIII 'le Lion' de France and Blanca de Castilla
This information was last updated on October 25, 2011.

Household of Louis IX 'le Saint' ""Saint Louis"" de France roi de France

He is married to Margarida de Provença.

They got married about 1234 at Sens, Yvonne, France.

Child(ren):

Philippe III 'le Hardi' de France 1245-1285

Notes about Louis IX 'le Saint' ""Saint Louis"" de France roi de France

GIVN Louis IX Koenig
SURN von Frankreich
NSFX King of France
AFN 8XJD-KF
DATE 9 SEP 2000
TIME 13:15:38

(Research):Louis IX Encyclopædia Britannica Article Early life. Louis was the fourth child of King Louis VIII and his queen, Blanche of Castile, but, since the first three died at an early age, Louis, who was to have seven more brothers and sisters, became heir to the throne. He was raised with particular care by his parents, especially his mother. Experienced horsemen taught him riding and the fine points of hunting. Tutors taught him biblical history, geography, and ancient literature. His mother instructed him in religion herself and educated him as a sincere, unbigoted Christian. Louis was a boisterous adolescent, occasionally seized by fits of temper, which he made efforts to control. When his father succeeded Philip II Augustus in 1223, the long struggle between the Capetian dynasty and the Plantagenets of England (who still had vast holdings in France) was still not settled, but there was a temporary lull, since the English king, Henry III, was in no position to resume the war. In the south of France the Albigensian heretics, who were in revolt against both church and state, had not been brought under control. Finally, there was ferment and the threat of revolt among the great nobles, who had been kept in line by the firm hand of Philip Augustus. Louis VIII managed to bring these external and internal conflicts to an end. In 1226 Louis VIII turned his attention to quelling the Albigensian revolt, but he unfortunately died at Montpensier on Nov. 8, 1226, on returning from a victorious expedition. Louis IX, who was not yet 13, became king under the regency of his redoubtable mother. Accession to the throne. The Queen Mother's first concern was to take Louis to Reims to be crowned. Many of the most powerful nobles refrained from participating in the ceremony, but Blanche was not a woman to be discouraged by adversity. While continuing her son's education she vigorously attacked the rebellious barons, particularly Hugh of Lusignan and Peter of Dreux (Pierre Mauclerc), duke of Brittany. Without support from King Henry III of England the baronial coalition collapsed, and the Treaty of Vendôme gave Blanche a brief respite. She took advantage of it to put an end to the Albigensian revolt. Louis's troops were sent into Languedoc, where they forced Raymond VII, count of Toulouse, to concede defeat. On April 11, 1229, the King imposed the Treaty of Paris on Raymond, in accordance with the terms of which Raymond's daughter was to marry the King's brother Alphonse, and, after their deaths, all of Languedoc would revert to the royal domain. As a political debut it was a magnificent success. When the students at the University of Paris revolted for a trivial reason, Louis, on his mother's advice, closed the university and ordered the students and professors to disperse, thereby strengthening the royal authority. The problem of the Plantagenet holdings in France remained. Supported by Peter of Dreux, Henry III landed in Brittany and attempted an expedition in the west of France. Louis IX, though only 15, personally commanded the troops. He ordered the château at Angers to be rebuilt and pushed toward Nantes, where Henry was based. There was not even a battle, for, after a futile ride to Bordeaux, Henry withdrew. Truces were renewed, and Peter of Dreux submitted to Louis's authority. When Blanche laid down the reins of government in 1234, the kingdom was temporarily at peace. Louis IX could now think about marriage. He was a splendid knight whose kindness and engaging manner made him popular. And he was a just king: although he exacted what was due him, he had no wish to wrong anyone, from the lowest peasant to the richest vassal. He often administered justice personally, either in the great hall of the Palais de la Cité, which he later endowed with a magnificent chapel, or in his Vincennes manor, where he assembled his subjects at the foot of an oak, a scene often recalled by his biographer Jean de Joinville, the seneschal of Champagne. He was also a pious king, the protector of the church and friend of those in holy orders. In 1228 he founded the noted Abbey of Royaumont. Although respectful of the pope, he staunchly resisted unreasonable papal demands and protected his clergy. Blanche had selected Margaret, daughter of Raymond Berenger IV, the count of Provence, as Louis's wife. The marriage was celebrated at Sens, May 29, 1234, and Louis showed himself to be an eager and ardent husband, which made Blanche intensely jealous of her daughter-in-law. Louis and Margaret had 11 children. After subduing Thibaut of Champagne, Louis IX had to set out again for Aquitaine. This time the rebel was Hugh of Lusignan, who had married the widowed mother of Henry III. Once again Henry descended on the Continent, this time at Royan, with a powerful force. The majority of the nobles in the west of France united with him. An almost bloodless encounter at the bridge of Taillebourg in 1242 resulted in defeat for the English, and Henry returned to London. With each truce slightly more progress was made toward gaining a peace that would put a permanent end to the Hundred Years' War between France and England. Louis IX Encyclopædia Britannica Article Leadership of the Seventh Crusade. After his victory over the English, Louis IX fell seriously ill with a form of malaria at Pontoise-lés-Noyon. It was then, in December 1244, that he decided to take up the cross and go to free the Holy Land, despite the lack of enthusiasm among his barons and his entourage. The situation in the Holy Land was critical; Jerusalem had fallen into Muslim hands on Aug. 23, 1244, and the armies of the Sultan of Egypt had seized Damascus. If aid from the West was not forthcoming, the Christian kingdom of the east would soon collapse. In Europe the times had never been more propitious for a crusade. There was a respite in the great struggle between the Holy Roman Empire and the papacy; moreover, Louis IX's forceful attitude toward the Holy Roman emperor, Frederick II, had dampened the latter's enthusiasm for war. The kingdom of France was at peace, and the barons agreed to accompany their sovereign in the Seventh Crusade. The preparations were long and complex. After entrusting the regency to his mother, Louis IX finally embarked from Aigues-Mortes on Aug. 25, 1248. He took his wife and children with him, since he preferred not to leave the mother and daughter-in-law alone together. His fleet comprised about 100 ships carrying 35,000 men. Louis's objective was simple: he intended to land in Egypt, seize the principal towns of the country, and use them as hostages to be exchanged for Syrian cities. The beginning was promising. After wintering in Cyprus, the expedition landed near Damietta, Egypt, in June 1249. The King was one of the first to leap onto land, where he planted the oriflamme of St. Denis on Muslim territory. The town and port of Damietta were strongly fortified, but on June 6 Louis IX was able to enter the city. He then pushed on toward Cairo, but the rain-swollen waters of the Nile and its canals stopped him for several months. It was necessary to capture the citadel of al-Mansurah. After several attempts, a pontoon bridge was finally built, and the battle took place on Feb. 8, 1250. The outcome of the struggle was for a long time undecided, and the King's brother Robert of Artois was killed. Louis finally gained control of the situation through his energy and self-possession. But the army was exhausted. The Nile carried thousands of corpses away from al-Mansurah, and plague struck the survivors. The King had to issue orders for the agonizing retreat toward Damietta. Louis IX, stricken in turn, dragged himself along in the rear guard of his disintegrating force. The Egyptians harassed the fleeing army and finally captured it on April 7, 1250. After long negotiations, the King and his principal barons were freed for a high ransom, and Louis rejoined his wife at Acre. The crusaders would have preferred to return to France, but the King decided instead to remain. In four years he was to transform a military defeat into a diplomatic success, conclude advantageous alliances, and fortify the Christian cities of Syria. He returned to his kingdom only upon learning of his mother's death. Achievement of peace and administrative reforms. The saintly Louis enjoyed immense prestige throughout western Christendom. He took advantage of this to open negotiations for a lasting peace with the English king, Henry III, who had become his brother-in-law. The discussions extended over several years, but the treaty was finally signed in Paris on May 28, 1258. The terms of the treaty were generous with regard to the Plantagenets. Although Louis could have stripped Henry III of all his continental holdings, he left him Aquitaine and some neighbouring territories. In return, the King of England acknowledged himself to be Louis's vassal. In Louis's eyes this was the most important point, for in the 13th century the power of a sovereign was measured less by the extent of his possessions than by the number and importance of his vassals. A just and equitable ruler, Louis also wanted to create goodwill between his children and those of the Plantagenets. The King's reputation for impartiality was so great that he was often called upon to arbitrate disputes outside France, as he once did in a violent dispute between Henry III and his barons. He took advantage of his authority to reorganize the administration of his kingdom. Some of his officials, profiting by his absence, had abused their power. Louis IX appointed royal investigators charged with correcting abuses on sight and with hearing complaints. Two well-known ordinances, in 1254 and 1256, carefully outlined the duties and responsibilities of officials in the royal domain, and Louis closely supervised their activities. Royal officials were forbidden to frequent taverns or to gamble, and business activities such as the purchase of land or the marriage of their daughters could be carried out only with the King's consent. Further ordinances forbade prostitution, judicial duels, and ordeal by battle. The King imposed strict penalties on counterfeiting, stabilized the currency, and compelled the circulation of royal coinage. In general, his measures strengthened royal justice and administration and provided a firm base for French commercial growth. Louis should not, however, be portrayed as a stained-glass figure. Like all men he had faults. He was quick-tempered and sometimes violent, and he had to struggle against his gluttony. He made his decisions alone but knew how to choose wise counsellors, and his sincere piety did not prevent him from curbing the abuses of the clergy, sometimes brutally. The King devoted attention to the arts and to literature. He directed the construction of several buildings in Paris, Vincennes, Saint-Germain, and Corbeil (to house relics of the "True Cross"). He encouraged Vincent of Beauvais, his chaplain, to write the first great encyclopaedia, Speculum majus. During his reign foreign students and scholars flocked to the University of Paris. The King was very high spirited. Nothing would be more inaccurate than to imagine him entirely steeped in piety. After meals he gladly descended into his gardens, surrounded by his intimates, and discussed diverse topics with them. There, each one indulged in quodlibet, or in talking about anything that pleased him.

died on an expedition against Tunis

[v37t1235.ftw]

Facts about this person:

Fact 2August 25

Acceded1226

Interred
St. Denis, France

Louis IX, King of France
25 August 1270
Louis was born in 1214 and became King of France when twelve years old. His mother, the half-English Blanche of Castile, was regent during his minority, and an influence while she lived. In 1234 he married Margaret of Provence, sister of Eleanor the wife of Henry III of England (no, not the couple from A Lion in Winter--that was Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine: this is two generations later).
Louis worked for the political unification of France, yielding Limoge, Cahors, and Perigeux to Henry in exchange for Henry's renunciation of all claims to Normandy, Anjou, Maine, Touraine, and Poitou (Treaty of Paris, 1259). He yielded French claims to Rousillon and Barcelona in exchange for the yielding of Spanish claims to Provence and Languedoc (Treaty of Corbeil, 1258). He largely eliminated the feuding and wars among French nobles and vassals that had ravaged France before his time. He protected vassals from oppression, and required their lords to fulfill their obligations. He reformed the system of taxation. He reformed the courts, so that every man in France, regardless of his station, had a far better chance of receiving justice than had previously been the case. He promoted the writing down of the law, so that it was clear what the laws were, and made major strides toward eliminating trial by combat in favor of trial by jury. (Trial by combat decided the guilt or innocence of the accused by a combat between the accused and the accuser, either personally or by proxy, with God being called on to uphold the right. Trial by ordeal required the accused to prove his innocence by, for example, walking across a bed of hot coals. Both were hold-overs from pre-Christian Frankish Law, and were vigorously denounced by many clergy, but took a long time to die out.) His reputation for integrity was such that foreign monarchs regularly asked him to arbitrate their disputes.
He founded a hospital for the poor, sick, and blind, known as the Quinze-Vingts (the Fifteen Score, originally for 300 inmates). His reign co-incided with the great era of the building of Gothic cathedrals in France. Robert de Sorbon, the founder of the Sorbonne (University of Paris) was his confessor and his personal friend, and Thomas Aquinas was a frequent guest at his table. (Once, it is said, Thomas dropped out of the conversation, lost in thought, and then suddenly struck the table with his fist and exclaimed, "That is a decisive argument against the Manichees!" Louis at once called for writing materials, so that Thomas could record the argument before he had a chance to forget it.)
He fought in two Crusades, both of which were total failures. In 1248 he led an army to the island of Cyprus (about 35 N 33 E), and was there joined by 200 English knights. In 1249 they proceeded to Egypt and took the city of Damietta, but discipline broke down and Louis was unable to keep the soldiers from looting. Disease ravaged the camp, and in 1250 the army suffered a disastrous defeat at Mansurah and Louis himself was taken prisoner. His Arab captors were quick to recognize in him a mixture of military valor and personal holiness, and were accustomed to kneel when speaking to him. He and his handful of surviving companions were released on the surrender of Damietta and the payment of a large ransom. He sailed to Palestine, visited the few Holy Places that were accessible, and returned to France in 1254. In 1270 he joined another crusade, which landed in Tunis, where he immediately caught typhoid fever and died on 25 August. His biography, by a friend and comrade in arms, the Sieur Jean de Joinville, is available in English in Chronicles of The Crusades, Penguin Paperbacks.

Louis, an outstanding monarch, was canonized in 1297. His feast day is August 25. Source: Royal Genealogies <http://ftp.cac.psu.edu/~saw/royal/>

Basic Life Information

Louis was born in 1214 at Poissy, near Paris, the son of King Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile. A member of the House of Capet, Louis was twelve years old when his father died on November 8, 1226. He was crowned king within the month at the Reims cathedral. Because of Louis's youth, his mother ruled France as regent during his minority.

His younger brother Charles I of Sicily (1227-85) was created count of Anjou, thus founding the second Angevin dynasty. The horrific fate of that dynasty in Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers evidently did not tarnish Louis's credentials for sainthood.

No date is given for the beginning of Louis's personal rule. His contemporaries viewed his reign as co-rule between the king and his mother, though historians generally view the year 1234 as the year in which Louis began ruling personally, with his mother assuming a more advisory role. She continued as an important counselor to the king until her death in 1252.

Marriage and Children

On May 27, 1234 Louis married Marguerite of Provence (1221 - December 21, 1295), whose sister Eleanor was the wife of Henry III of England.

Crusades

At the age of 15, Louis brought an end to the Albigensian Crusade in 1229 after signing an agreement with Count Raymond VII of Toulouse that cleared his father of wrong-doing. Raymond VI of Toulouse had been suspected of murdering a preacher on a mission to convert the Cathars.

Louis's piety and kindness towards the poor was much celebrated. He went on two crusades, in his mid-30s in 1248 (Seventh Crusade) and then again in his mid-50s in 1270 (Eighth Crusade). Both were complete disasters; after initial success in his first attempt, Louis's army of 15,000 men was met by overwhelming resistance from the Egyptian army and peoplecite.

He had begun with the rapid capture of the port of Damietta in June 1249,[1] an attack which did cause some disruption in the Muslim Ayyubid empire, especially as the current sultan was on his deathbed. But the march from Damietta towards Cairo through the Nile River Delta went slowly. During this time, the Ayyubid sultan died, and a sudden power shift took place, as the sultan's slave wife Shajar al-Durr set events in motion which were to make her Queen, and eventually place the Egyptians' slave army of the Mamluks in power. On April 6, 1250 Louis lost his army at the Battle of Fariskur[2] and was captured by the Egyptians. His release was eventually negotiated, in return for a ransom of 400,000 livres tournois (at the time France's annual revenue was only about 250,000 livres tournois, so it was necessary to obtain a loan from the Templars), and the surrender of the city of Damietta.

Following his release from Egyptian captivity, Louis spent four years in the crusader Kingdoms of Acre, Caesarea, and Jaffe. Louis used his wealth to assist the crusaders in rebuilding their defenses and conducting diplomacy with the Islamic powers of Syria and Egypt. Upon his departure from the Middle East, Louis left a significant garrison in the city of Acre for its defense against Islamic attacks. The historic presence of this French garrison in the Middle East was later used as a justification for the French Mandate following the end of the First World War.

Louis exchanged multiple letters and emissaries with Mongol rulers of the period. During his first crusade in 1248, Louis was approached by envoys from Eljigidei, the Mongol ruler of Armenia and Persia. Eljigidei suggested that King Louis should land in Egypt, while Eljigidei attacked Baghdad, in order to prevent the Saracens of Egypt and those of Syria from joining forces. Louis sent André de Longjumeau, a Dominican priest, as an emissary to the Great Khan Güyük Khan in Mongolia. However, Güyük died before the emissary arrived at his court, and nothing concrete occurred. Louis dispatched another envoy to the Mongol court, the Franciscan William of Rubruck, who went to visit the Great Khan Möngke Khan in Mongolia.

Death

During his second crusade, Louis died at Tunis, August 25, 1270, and was succeeded by his son, Philip III. Louis was traditionally believed to have died from bubonic plague but is thought by modern scholars to be dysentery. The Bubonic Plague didn't hit Europe until 1348, so the likelihood of him contracting and ultimately dying from the Bubonic Plague was very slim.

Christian tradition states that some of his entrails were buried directly on the spot in Tunisia, where a Tomb of Saint-Louis can still be visited today, whereas other parts of his entrails were sealed in an urn and placed in the Basilica of Monreale, Palermo, where they still remain. His corpse was taken, after a short stay at the Basilica of Saint Dominic in Bologna, to the French royal necropolis at Saint-Denis, resting in Lyon on the way. His tomb at Saint-Denis was a magnificent gilt brass monument designed in the late 14th century. It was melted down during the French Wars of Religion, at which time the body of the king disappeared. Only one finger was rescued and is kept at Saint-Denis.

Sainthood

Venerated in Roman Catholic Church
Canonized 1297 by Pope Boniface VIII
Feast 25 August

Patronage France, French monarchy; hairdressers; passementiers (lacemakers)
The Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Louis is a Roman Catholic religious order founded in 1842 and named in his honour.
wikipedia

Louis, an outstanding monarch of medevial times, was canonized in 1297 as
Saint Louis, with his feast day August 25th. Saintly, but he had his faults.
Quick-tempered and sometimes violent, he had to struggle with his gluttony.
High-spirited, he made his decisions alone, but knew how to choose wise
counsellors. His sincere piety did not prevent him from curbing the abuses of
the clergy, at times brutally. The saintly Louis enjoyed immense prestigue
throughout western Christendom as the most popular of the Capetian monarchs.

Louis IX of France
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Saint Louis IX
King of France (more...)

Reign 8 November 1226 – 25 August 1270
Coronation 29 November 1226, Reims
Full name Known as Saint Louis
Titles Count of Artois (1226–37)
Born 25 April 1214(1214-04-25)
Poissy, France
Died 25 August 1270 (aged 56)
Tunis, North Africa
Buried Saint Denis Basilica
Predecessor Louis VIII
Successor Philip III
Consort Marguerite of Provence (1221–95)
Issue Isabelle, Queen of Navarre (1241–71)
Philip III (1245-85)
Jean Tristan, Count of Valois (1250–70)
Pierre, Count of Perche and Alençon (1251–84)
Blanche, Crown Princess of Castille (1253–1323)
Marguerite, Duchess of Brabant (1254–71)
Robert, Count of Clermont (1256–1317)
Agnes, Duchess of Burgundy (1260–1327)
Royal House House of Capet
Father Louis VIII of France
Mother Blanche of Castile
French Monarchy
Direct Capetians

Louis IX
Philip III
Robert, Count of Clermont
Agnes, Duchess of Burgundy

Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 to his death. He was also Count of Artois (as Louis II) from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was a member of the House of Capet and the son of King Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile. He is the only canonised king of France and consequently there are many places named after him, most notably St. Louis, Missouri in the United States. He established the Parlement of Paris.

Contents [hide]
1 Sources
2 Early life
3 Crusading
3.1 Attempted alliances
4 Patron of arts and arbiter of Europe
5 Religious zeal
6 Ancestors
7 Children
8 Death and legacy
9 Veneration as a saint
10 Places named after Saint Louis
11 Famous portraits
12 External links
13 Bibliography
14 References
15 External links

[edit] Sources
Much of what is known of Louis's life comes from Jean de Joinville's famous biography of Louis, Life of Saint Louis. Joinville was a close friend, confidant, and counsellor to the king, and also participated as a witness in the papal inquest into Louis' life that ended with 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. The fourth important source of information is William of Saint-Pathus' biography, which he wrote using the papal inquest mentioned above. 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.

[edit] Early life
Louis was born in 1214 at Poissy, near Paris, the son of King Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile. A member of the House of Capet, Louis was twelve years old when his father died on November 8, 1226. He was crowned king the same year in the cathedral at Reims. Because of Louis's youth, his mother ruled France as regent during his minority.

His younger brother Charles I of Sicily (1227–85) was created count of Anjou, thus founding the second Angevin dynasty. The horrific fate of that dynasty in Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers evidently did not tarnish Louis's credentials for sainthood.

No date is given for the beginning of Louis's personal rule. His contemporaries viewed his reign as co-rule between the king and his mother, though historians generally view the year 1234 as the year in which Louis began ruling personally, with his mother assuming a more advisory role. She continued as an important counselor to the king until her death in 1252.

On May 27, 1234 Louis married Marguerite of Provence (1221 – December 21, 1295), whose sister Eleanor was the wife of Henry III of England.

[edit] Crusading
At the age of 15, Louis brought an end to the Albigensian Crusade in 1229 after signing an agreement with Count Raymond VII of Toulouse that cleared his father of wrong-doing. Raymond VI had been suspected of murdering a preacher on a mission to convert the Cathars.

Louis's piety and kindness towards the poor was much celebrated. He went on crusade twice, in his mid-30s in 1248 (Seventh Crusade) and then again in his mid-50s in 1270 (Eighth Crusade). Both crusades were complete disasters; after initial success in his first attempt, Louis's army of 15,000 men was met by overwhelming resistance from the Egyptian army and people.

He had begun with the rapid capture of the port of Damietta in June 1249,[1] an attack which did cause some disruption in the Muslim Ayyubid empire, especially as the current sultan was on his deathbed. But the march from Damietta towards Cairo through the Nile River Delta went slowly. During this time, the Ayyubid sultan died, and a sudden power shift took place, as the sultan's slave wife Shajar al-Durr set events in motion which were to make her Queen, and eventually place the Egyptians' slave army of the Mamluks in power. On April 6, 1250 Louis lost his army at the Battle of Fariskur[2] and was captured by the Egyptians. His release was eventually negotiated, in return for a ransom of 400,000 livres tournois (at the time France's annual revenue was only about 250,000 livres tournois, so it was necessary to obtain a loan from the Templars), and the surrender of the city of Damietta.[3]

Following his release from Egyptian captivity, Louis spent four years in the crusader Kingdoms of Acre, Caesarea, and Jaffe. Louis used his wealth to assist the crusaders in rebuilding their defenses and conducting diplomacy with the Islamic powers of Syria and Egypt. Upon his departure from the Middle East, Louis left a significant garrison in the city of Acre for its defense against Islamic attacks. The historic presence of this French garrison in the Middle East was later used as a justification for the French Mandate following the end of the First World War.

[edit] Attempted alliances
See also: Franco-Mongol alliance

14th century copy of the February 7, 1248, letter from the Armenian noble Sempad, speaking in positive terms about the Mongols[4] The letter was also shown to Louis IX, who decided to send an envoy to the Mongol courtLouis exchanged multiple letters and emissaries with Mongol rulers of the period. After Louis left France on his first Crusade and disembarked at Nicosia in Cyprus, he was met on December 20, 1248, in Nicosia by two Mongol envoys, Nestorians from Mosul named David and Marc, who bore a letter from Eljigidei, the Mongol ruler of Armenia and Persia.[5] The envoys communicated a proposal to form an alliance against the Muslim Abbasids, whose Caliphate was based in Baghdad.[6] Eljigidei suggested that King Louis should land in Egypt, while Eljigidei attacked Baghdad, in order to prevent the Saracens of Egypt and those of Syria from joining forces.

Though at least one historian has criticized Louis as being "naive" in trusting the ambassadors, and Louis himself later admitted that he regretted the decision,[7] Louis sent André de Longjumeau, a Dominican priest, as an emissary to the Great Khan Güyük Khan in Mongolia. However, Güyük died, from drink, before the emissary arrived at his court, and his widow Oghul Ghaimish simply gave the emissary a gift and a condescending letter to take back to King Louis,[8] demanding that the king pay tribute to the Mongols.[9]

In 1252, Louis attempted an alliance with the Egyptians, for the return of Jerusalem if the French assisted with the subduing of Damascus.

In 1253, Louis tried to seek allies from among both the Ismailian Assassins and the Mongols.[10] Louis had received word that the the Mongol leader of the Golden Horde, Sartaq, had converted to Christianity,[11] While in Cyprus, Louis also saw a letter from Sempad, brother of Hetoum I of Armenia. Sempad, on an embassy to the Mongol court in Karakorum, described a Central Asian realm of oasis with many Christians, generally of the Nestorian rite.[12]

Louis dispatched another envoy to the Mongol court, the Franciscan William of Rubruck, who went to visit the Great Khan Möngke Khan in Mongolia. William entered into a famous competition at the Mongol court, as the Khan encouraged a formal debate between the Christians, Buddhists, and Muslims, to determine which faith was correct, as determined by three judges, one from each faith. The debate drew a large crowd, and as with most Mongol events, a great deal of alcohol was involved. As described by Jack Weatherford in his book Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World:

No side seemed to convince the other of anything. Finally, as the effects of the alcohol became stronger, the Christians gave up trying to persuade anyone with logical arguments, and resorted to singing. The Muslims, who did not sing, responded by loudly reciting the Koran in an effort to drown out the Christians, and the Buddhists retreated into silent mediation. At the end of the debate, unable to convert or kill one another, they concluded the way most Mongol celebrations concluded, with everyone simply too drunk to continue.

—Jack Weatherford, Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, p. 173
But even after the competition, Möngke replied only with a letter via William in 1254, asking for the King's submission to Mongol authority.[13]

[edit] Patron of arts and arbiter of Europe

Wooden statue of Saint Louis (perhaps a copy of the statue at the church of Mainneville?)Louis' patronage of the arts drove much innovation in Gothic art and architecture, and the style of his court radiated throughout Europe by both the purchase of art objects from Parisian masters for export and by the marriage of the king's daughters and female relatives to foreign husbands and their subsequent introduction of Parisian models elsewhere. Louis' personal chapel, the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, was copied more than once by his descendants elsewhere. Louis most likely ordered the production of the Morgan Bible, a masterpiece of medieval painting.

Saint Louis ruled during the so-called "golden century of Saint Louis", when the kingdom of France was at its height in Europe, both politically and economically. The king of France was regarded as a primus inter pares among the kings and rulers of the continent. He commanded the largest army, and ruled the largest and most wealthy kingdom of Europe, a kingdom which was the European center of arts and intellectual thought (La Sorbonne) at the time. The prestige and respect felt in Europe for King Louis IX was due more to the attraction that his benevolent personality created rather 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 of saintliness and fairness was already well established while he was alive, and on many occasions he was chosen as an arbiter in the quarrels opposing the rulers of Europe.

[edit] Religious zeal

The Holy Crown of Jesus Christ was bought by Louis IX from Baldwin II of Constantinople. It is preserved today in a 19th century reliquary, in Notre Dame de Paris.
King Louis IX washing the feet of the poor.The perception of Louis IX as the exemplary Christian prince was reinforced by his religious zeal. Louis was a devout Catholic, and he built the Sainte Chapelle ("Holy Chapel"), located within the royal palace complex (now the Paris Hall of Justice), on the Île de la Cité in the centre of Paris. The Sainte Chapelle, a perfect example of the Rayonnant style of Gothic architecture, was erected as a shrine for the Crown of Thorns and a fragment of the True Cross, precious relics of the Passion of Jesus. Louis purchased these in 1239–41 from Emperor Baldwin II of the Latin Empire of Constantinople, for the exorbitant sum of 135,000 livres (the chapel, on the other hand, cost only 60,000 livres to build). This purchase should be understood in the context of the extreme religious fervor that existed in Europe in the 13th century. The purchase contributed greatly to reinforcing the central position of the king of France in western Christendom, as well as to increasing the renown of Paris, then the largest city of western Europe. During a time when cities and rulers vied for relics, trying to increase their reputation and fame, Louis IX had succeeded in securing the most prized of all relics in his capital. The purchase was thus not only an act of devotion, but also a political gesture: the French monarchy was trying to establish the kingdom of France as the "new Jerusalem."

Louis IX took very seriously his mission as "lieutenant of God on Earth," with which he had been invested when he was crowned in Rheims. Thus, in order to fulfill his duty, he conducted two crusades, and even though they were unsuccessful, they contributed to his prestige. Contemporaries would not have understood if the king of France did not lead a crusade to the Holy Land. In order to finance his first crusade Louis ordered the expulsion of all Jews engaged in usury. This action enabled Louis to confiscate the property of expelled Jews for use in his crusade. However, he did not eliminate the debts incurred by Christians. One-third of the debt was forgiven, but the other two-thirds was to be remitted to the royal treasury. Louis also ordered, at the urging of Pope Gregory IX, the burning of some 12,000 copies of the Talmud in Paris in 1243. Such legislation against the Talmud, not uncommon in the history of Christendom, was due to medieval courts' concerns that its production and circulation might weaken the faith of Christian individuals and threaten the Christian basis of society, the protection of which was the duty of any Christian monarch.[14]

Tunique and cilice of Louis IX. Treasure of Notre-Dame de Paris.In addition to Louis's legislation against Jews and usury, he expanded the scope of the Inquisition in France. The area most affected by this expansion was southern France where the Cathar heresy had been strongest. The rate of these confiscations reached its highest levels in the years prior to his first crusade, and slowed upon his return to France in 1254.

In all these deeds, Louis IX tried to fulfill the duty of France, which was seen 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 the Pope in Rome in 800. Indeed, the official Latin title of the kings of France was Rex Francorum, i.e. "king of the Franks," and the kings of France were also known by the title "most Christian king" (Rex Christianissimus). The relationship between France and the papacy was at its peak in the 12th and 13th centuries, and most of the crusades were actually called by the popes from French soil. Eventually, in 1309, Pope Clement V even left Rome and relocated to the French city of Avignon, beginning the era known as the Avignon Papacy (or, more disparagingly, the "Babylonian captivity").

[edit] Ancestors

16. Louis VI of France

8. Louis VII of France

17. Adelaide of Maurienne

4. Philip II of France

18. Theobald II, Count of Champagne

9. Adèle of Champagne

19. Matilda of Carinthia

2. Louis VIII of France

20. Baldwin IV, Count of Hainaut

10. Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut

21. Alice of Namur

5. Isabelle of Hainaut

22. Thierry, Count of Flanders

11. Margaret I, Countess of Flanders

23. Sibylla of Anjou

1. Louis IX of France

24. Alfonso VII of León

12. Sancho III of Castile

25. Berenguela of Barcelona

6. Alfonso VIII of Castile

26. García VI of Navarre

13. Blanca of Navarre

27. Marguerite de l'Aigle

3. Blanche of Castile

28. Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou

14. Henry II of England

29. Matilda of England

7. Leonora of England

30. William X, Duke of Aquitaine

15. Eleanor of Aquitaine

31. Aenor de Châtellerault

[edit] Children
Blanche (1240 – April 29, 1243)
Isabelle (March 2, 1241 – January 28, 1271), married Theobald V of Champagne
Louis (February 25, 1244 – January 1260)
Philippe III (May 1, 1245 – October 5, 1285)
Jean (born and died in 1248)
Jean Tristan (1250 – August 3, 1270), married Yolande of Burgundy
Pierre (1251–84), Count of Perche and Alençon; Count of Blois and Chartres in right of his wife, Joanne of Châtillon
Blanche (1253–1323), married Ferdinand de la Cerda, Infante of Castille
Marguerite (1254–71), married John I, Duke of Brabant
Robert, Count of Clermont (1256 – February 7, 1317). He was the ancestor of King Henry IV of France.
Agnes of France (ca 1260 – December 19, 1327), married Robert II, Duke of Burgundy

[edit] Death and legacy

Reliquary of Saint Louis (end 13th c.) Basilica of Saint Dominic, Bologna, ItalyDuring his second crusade, Louis died at Tunis, August 25, 1270, and was succeeded by his son, Philip III. Louis was traditionally believed to have died from bubonic plague but is thought by modern scholars to be dysentery. The Bubonic Plague didn't hit Europe until 1348, so the likelihood of him contracting and ultimately dying for the Bubonic Plague was very slim.

Christian tradition states that some of his entrails were buried directly on the spot in Tunisia, where a Tomb of Saint-Louis can still be visited today, whereas other parts of his entrails were sealed in an urn and placed in the Basilica of Monreale, Palermo, where they still remain. His corpse was taken, after a short stay at the Basilica of Saint Dominic in Bologna, to the French royal necropolis at Saint-Denis, resting in Lyon on the way. His tomb at Saint-Denis was a magnificent gilt brass monument designed in the late 14th century. It was melted down during the French Wars of Religion, at which time the body of the king disappeared. Only one finger was rescued and is kept at Saint-Denis.

[edit] Veneration as a saint
Saint Louis

Louis IX of France was revered as a saint and painted in portraiture well after his death (such portraits may not accurately reflect his appearance). This portrait was painted by El Greco ca 1592–95.
King of France, Confessor
Born 25 April 1214(1214-04-25), Poissy, France
Died 25 August 1270 (aged 56), Tunis in what is now Tunisia
Venerated in Roman Catholic Church
Canonized 1297 by Pope Boniface VIII
Feast 25 August
Attributes Depicted as King of France, generally with a crown, holding a sceptre with a fleur-de-lys on the end, possibly with blue clothing with a spread of white fleur-de-lys (coat of arms of the French monarchy)
Patronage France, French monarchy; hairdressers; passementiers (lacemakers)
Saints Portal
Pope Boniface VIII proclaimed the canonization of Louis in 1297; he is one of the few royals in French history to have been declared a saint.

Louis IX is often considered the model of the ideal Christian monarch. Because of the aura of holiness attached to his memory, many Kings of France were called Louis, especially in the Bourbon dynasty, who directly descended from one of his younger sons.

The Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Louis is a Roman Catholic religious order founded in 1842 and named in his honour.

[edit] Places named after Saint Louis
The cities of San Luis Potosí in Mexico, Saint Louis, Missouri, Saint-Louis du Sénégal in Senegal, Saint-Louis in Alsace, as well as Lake Saint-Louis in Quebec, and the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in California are among the many places named after the king.

The Cathedral Saint-Louis in Versailles, Basilica of St. Louis, King of France in St. Louis, Missouri, the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri, and the French royal Order of Saint Louis (1693–1790 and 1814–30) were also created after the king. The Saint Louis Cathedral in New Orleans is named after him.

Many places in Brazil called São Luís in Portuguese are named after Saint Louis.

[edit] Famous portraits
A portrait of St. Louis hangs in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives.

Saint Louis is also portrayed on a frieze depicting a timeline of important lawgivers throughout world history in the Courtroom at the Supreme Court of the United States.

[edit] External links
Saints Portal
Site about The Saintonge War between Louis IX of France and Henry III of England.
Account of the first Crusade of Saint Louis from the perspective of the Arabs..
A letter from Guy, a knight, concerning the capture of Damietta on the sixth Crusade with a speech delivered by Saint Louis to his men.
Etext full version of the Memoirs of the Lord of Joinville, a biography of Saint Louis written by one of his knights
Biography of Saint Louis on the Patron Saints Index

[edit] Bibliography
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Louis IX of FranceJoinville, Jean de, The History of St. Louis (Trans. Joan Evans).

[edit] References
^ Tyerman, p. 787
^ >Trevor N Dupuy (1993). The Harper Encyclopedia of Military History. HarperCollins, p.417.
^ Tyerman, pp. 789-798
^ "Le Royaume Armenien de Cilicie", p66
^ Peter Jackson (July 1980). "The Crisis in the Holy Land in 1260". The English Historical Review 95 (376): 481-513.
^ Grousset, p.523
^ Tyerman, p. 786
^ Runciman, p.260
^ Tyerman, p. 798. "Louis's embassy under Andrew of Longjumeau had returned in 1251 carrying a demand from the Mongol regent, Oghul Qaimush, for annual tribute, not at all what the king had anticipated.
^ Runciman, pp. 279-280
^ Runciman, p.380
^ Jean Richard, “Histoire des Croissades”, p. 376
^ J. Richard, 1970, p. 202., Encyclopedia Iranica, [1]
^ Gigot, Francis E. (1910), "Judaism", The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. VIII, New York: Robert Appleton Company, <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08399a.htm>. Retrieved on 13 August 2007

[edit] External links
Goyau, Georges (1910), "St. Louis IX", The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. IX, New York: Robert Appleton Company, <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09368a.htm>. Retrieved on 13 August 2007
Louis IX of France
House of Capet
Born: 25 April 1214 Died: 25 August 1270
Preceded by
Louis VIII of France King of France
8 November 1226 – 25 August 1270 Succeeded by
Philip III
Count of Artois
8 November 1226 – 1237 Succeeded by
Robert I

Louis, an outstanding monarch of medevial times, was canonized in 1297 as
Saint Louis, with his feast day August 25th. Saintly, but he had his faults.
Quick-tempered and sometimes violent, he had to struggle with his gluttony.
High-spirited, he made his decisions alone, but knew how to choose wise
counsellors. His sincere piety did not prevent him from curbing the abuses of
the clergy, at times brutally. The saintly Louis enjoyed immense prestigue
throughout western Christendom as the most popular of the Capetian monarchs.

[Weis 97] Crusader

St. Louis successfully stood up to a dangerous coalition led by Hugh de L usignan and Raymond VII of Toulouse with the backing of Henry III of Engl and. During the Seventh Crusade (1248 - 1254), St. Louis captured Damiet ta, but he was defeated at al-Mansurah in February 1250. Despite the Pop e's advice, the reticence of his lords, and his own poor health, St. Loui s set off from Aigues-Mortes for the Eighth Crusade, and died from plagu e during the Seige of Tunis.
He was a diplomat, a dynamic man with an innate sense of justice and equ ity, who created the French Parliament and kept a watchful eye on his bai liffs, seneschals, and provosts. He founded a number of hospitals, inclu ding the Quinze Vingts for three hundred knights whose eyes had been pu t out by the Saracen. St. Louis commissioned the building of the Sainte- Chapelle in Paris, and was canonized in 1297.

http://www.e-familytree.net/f150.htm#f5572

Louis was born in 1214 and became King of France when twelve years
old. His mother, the half-English Blanche of Castile, was regentduring his minority, and an influence while she lived. In 1234 he married Margaret of Provence, sister of Eleanor the wife of Henry III of England (no, not the couple from A LION IN WINTER--that was
Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine: this is two generations later).
Louis worked for the political unification of France, yielding Limoge, Cahors, and Perigeux to Henry in exchange for Henry's renunciation of all claims to Normandy, Anjou, Maine, Touraine, and Poitou (Treaty of Paris, 1259). He yielded French claims to Rousillon and Barcelona in exchange for the yielding of Spanish claims to Provence and Languedoc (Treaty of Corbeil, 1258). He largely eliminated the feuding and wars among French nobles and vassals that had ravaged France before his time. He protected vassals from oppression, and required their lords to fulfill their obligations. He reformed the system of taxation. He reformed the courts, so that every man in France, regardless of his station, had a far better chance of receiving justice than had previously been the case. He promoted the writing down of the law, so that it was clear what the laws were, and made major strides toward eliminating trial by combat in favor of trial by jury. (Trial by combat decided the guilt or innocence of the accused by a combat between the accused and the accuser, either personally or by proxy, with God being called on to uphold the right. Trial by ordeal required the accused to prove his innocence by, for example, walking across a bed of hot coals. Both were hold-overs from pre-Christian Frankish Law, and were vigorously denounced by many clergy, but took a long time to die out.) His reputation for integrity was such that foreign monarchs regularly asked him to arbitrate their disputes.
He founded a hospital for the poor, sick, and blind, known as the Quinze-Vingts (the Fifteen Score, originally for 300 inmates). His reign co-incided with the great era of the building of Gothic cathedrals in France. Robert de Sorbon, the founder of the Sorbonne (University of Paris) was his confessor and his personal friend, and Thomas Aquinas was a frequent guest at his table. (Once, it is said, Thomas dropped out of the conversation, lost in thought, and then suddenly struck the table with his fist and exclaimed, "That is a decisive argument against the Manichees!" Louis at once called for writing materials, so that Thomas could record the argument before he had a chance to forget it.)
He fought in two Crusades, both of which were total failures. In 1248 he led an army to the island of Cyprus (about 35 N 33 E), and was there joined by 200 English knights. In 1249 they proceeded to Egypt and took the city of Damietta, but discipline broke down and Louis was unable to keep the soldiers from looting. Disease ravaged
the camp, and in 1250 the army suffered a disastrous defeat at Mansurah and Louis himself was taken prisoner. His Arab captors were quick to recognize in him a mixture of military valor and personal holiness, and were accustomed to kneel when speaking to him. He and his handful of surviving companions were released on the surrender of Damietta and the payment of a large ransom. He sailed to Palestine, visited the few Holy Places that were accessible, and returned to France in 1254. In 1270 he joined another crusade, which landed in Tunis, where he immediately caught typhoid fever and died on 25 August. His biography, by a friend and comrade in arms, the Sieur Jean de Joinville, is available in English in CHRONICLES OF THE CRUSADES, Penguin Paperbacks.

King of France 29Nov1226-25Aug1270(of Plague). Crusade Aug1248,
captured Feb1250, between Crusades 1254-69, 1Jun1270 second
Crusade, and died en route of Plague on 25Aug1270. The ideal King of the
middle ages. Canonized in 1797.

Notes for Louis IX King of France:

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09368a.htm St. Louis IX

King of France, son of Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile, born atPoissy, 25 April, 1215; died near Tunis, 25 August, 1270.

He was eleven years of age when the death of Louis VIII made him king,and nineteen when he married Marguerite of Provence by whom he hadeleven children. The regency of Blanche of Castile (1226-1234) wasmarked by the victorious struggle of the Crown against Raymond VII inLanguedoc, against Pierre Mauclerc in Brittany, against Philip Hurepelin the Ile de France, and by indecisive combats against Henry III ofEngland. In this period of disturbances the queen was powerfullysupported by the legate Frangipani. Accredited to Louis VIII byHonorius III as early as 1225, Frangipani won over to the French causethe sympathies of Gregory IX, who was inclined to listen to Henry III,and through his intervention it was decreed that all the chapters ofthe dioceses should pay to Blanche of Castile tithes for the southerncrusade. It was the legate who received the submission of Raymond VII,Count of Languedoc, at Paris, in front of Notre-Dame, and thissubmission put an end to the Albigensian war and prepared the union ofthe southern provinces to France by the Treaty of Paris (April 1229).The influence of Blanche de Castile over the government extended farbeyond St. Louis's minority. Even later, in public business and whenambassadors were officially received, she appeared at his side. Shedied in 1253.

In the first years of the king's personal government, the Crown had tocombat a fresh rebellion against feudalism, led by the Count de laMarche, in league with Henry III. St. Louis's victory over thiscoalition at Taillebourg, 1242, was followed by the Peace of Bordeauxwhich annexed to the French realm a part of Saintonge.

It was one of St. Louis's chief characteristics to carry on abreasthis administration as national sovereign and the performance of hisduties towards Christendom; and taking advantage of the respite whichthe Peace of Bordeaux afforded, he turned his thoughts towards acrusade. Stricken down with a fierce malady in 1244, he resolved totake the cross when news came that Turcomans had defeated theChristians and the Moslems and invaded Jerusalem. (On the two crusadesof St. Louis [1248-1249 and 1270] see CRUSADES.) Between the twocrusades he opened negotiations with Henry III, which he thought wouldprevent new conflicts between France and England. The Treaty of Paris(28 May, 1258) which St. Louis concluded with the King of Englandafter five years' parley, has been very much discussed. By this treatySt. Louis gave Henry III all the fiefs and domains belonging to theKing of France in the Dioceses of Limoges, Cahors, and Périgueux; andin the event of Alphonsus of Poitiers dying without issue, Saintongeand Agenais would escheat to Henry III. On the other hand Henry IIIrenounced his claims to Normandy, Anjou, Touraine, Maine, Poitou, andpromised to do homage for the Duchy of Guyenne. It was generallyconsidered and Joinville voiced the opinion of the people, that St.Louis made too many territorial concessions to Henry III; and manyhistorians held that if, on the contrary, St. Louis had carried thewar against Henry III further, the Hundred Years War would have beenaverted. But St. Louis considered that by making the Duchy of Guyennea fief of the Crown of France he was gaining a moral advantage; and itis an undoubted fact that the Treaty of Paris, was as displeasing tothe English as it was to the French. In 1263, St. Louis was chosen asarbitrator in a difference which separated Henry III and the Englishbarons: by the Dit d'Amiens (24 January, 1264) he declared himself forHenry III against the barons, and annulled the Provisions of Oxford,by which the barons had attempted to restrict the authority of theking. It was also in the period between the two crusades that St.Louis, by the Treaty of Corbeil, imposed upon the King of Aragon theabandonment of his claims to all the fiefs in Languedoc exceptingMontpellier, and the surrender of his rights to Provence (11 May,1258). Treaties and arbitrations prove St. Louis to have been aboveall a lover of peace, a king who desired not only to put an end toconflicts, but also to remove the causes for fresh wars, and thisspirit of peace rested upon the Christian conception.

St. Louis's relations with the Church of France and the papal Courthave excited widely divergent interpretations and opinions. However,all historians agree that St. Louis and the successive popes united toprotect the clergy of France from the encroachments or molestations ofthe barons and royal officers. It is equally recognized that duringthe absence of St. Louis at the crusade, Blanche of Castile protectedthe clergy in 1251 from the plunder and ill-treatment of a mysteriousold maurauder called the "Hungarian Master" who was followed by a mobof armed men — called the "Pastoureaux." The "Hungarian Master" whowas said to be in league with the Moslems died in an engagement nearVillaneuve and the entire band pursued in every direction wasdispersed and annihilated.

But did St. Louis take measures also to defend the independence of theclergy against the papacy? A number of historians once claimed he did.They attributed to St. Louis a certain "pragmatic sanction" of March1269, prohibiting irregular collations of ecclesiastical benefices,prohibiting simony, and interdicting the tributes which the papalCourt received from the French clergy. The Gallicans of theseventeenth and eighteenth centuries often made use of this measureagainst the Holy See; the truth is that it was a forgery fabricated inthe fourteenth century by juris-consults desirous of giving to thePragmatic Sanction of Charles VII a precedent worthy of respect. Thisso-called pragmatic of Louis IX is presented as a royal decree for thereformation of the Church; never would St. Louis thus have taken uponhimself the right to proceed authoritatively with this reformation.When in 1246, a great number of barons from the north and the westleagued against the clergy whom they accused of amassing too greatwealth and of encroaching upon their rights, Innocent IV called uponLouis to dissolve this league; how the king acted in the matter is notdefinitely known. On 2 May, 1247, when the Bishops of Soissons and ofTroyes, the archdeacon of Tours, and the provost of the cathedral ofRouen, despatched to the pope a remonstrance against his taxations,his preferment of Italians in the distribution of benefices, againstthe conflicts between papal jurisdiction and the jurisdiction of theordinaries, Marshal Ferri Pasté seconded their complaints in the nameof St. Louis. Shortly after, these complaints were reiterated anddetailed in a lengthy memorandum, the text of which has been preservedby Mathieu Paris, the historian. It is not known whether St. Louisaffixed his signature to it, but in any case, this document was simplya request asking for the suppression of the abuses, with nopretensions to laying down principles of public right, as was claimedby the Pragmatic Sanction.

Documents prove that St. Louis did not lend an ear to the grievancesof his clergy against the emissaries of Urban IV and Clement IV; heeven allowed Clement IV to generalize a custom in 1265 according towhich the benefices the titularies of which died while sojourning inRome, should be disposed of by the pope. Docile to the decrees of theLateran Council (1215), according to which kings were not to tax thechurches of their realm without authority from the pope, St. Louisclaimed and obtained from successive popes, in view of the crusade,the right to levy quite heavy taxes from the clergy. It is again thisfundamental idea of the crusade, ever present in St. Louis's thoughtsthat prompted his attitude generally in the struggle between theempire and the pope. While the Emperor Frederick II and the successivepopes sought and contended for France's support, St. Louis's attitudewas at once decided and reserved. On the one hand he did not acceptfor his brother Robert of Artois, the imperial crown offered him byGregory IX in 1240. In his correspondence with Frederick he continuedto treat him as a sovereign, even after Frederick had beenexcommunicated and declared dispossessed of his realms by Innocent IVat the Council of Lyons, 17 July, 1245. But on the other hand, in1251, the king compelled Frederick to release the French archbishopstaken prisoners by the Pisans, the emperor's auxiliaries, when ontheir way in a Genoese fleet to attend a general council at Rome. In1245, he conferred at length, at Cluny, with Innocent IV who had takenrefuge in Lyons in December, 1244, to escape the threats of theemperor, and it was at this meeting that the papal dispensation forthe marriage of Charles Anjou, brother of Louis IX, to Beatrix,heiress of Provençe was granted and it was then that Louis IX andBlanche of Castile promised Innocent IV their support. Finally, whenin 1247 Frederick II took steps to capture Innocent IV at Lyons, themeasures Louis took to defend the pope were one of the reasons whichcaused the emperor to withdraw. St. Louis looked upon every act ofhostility from either power as an obstacle to accomplishing thecrusade. In the quarrel over investitures, the king kept on friendlyterms with both, not allowing the emperor to harass the pope and neverexciting the pope against the emperor. In 1262 when Urban offered St.Louis, the Kingdom of Sicily, a fief of the Apostolic See, for one ofhis sons, St. Louis refused it, through consideration for the Swabiandynasty then reigning; but when Charles of Anjou accepted Urban IV'soffer and went to conquer the Kingdom of Sicily, St. Louis allowed thebravest knights of France to join the expedition which destroyed thepower of the Hohenstaufens in Sicily. The king hoped, doubtless, thatthe possession of Sicily by Charles of Anjou would be advantageous tothe crusade.

St. Louis led an exemplary life, bearing constantly in mind hismother's words: "I would rather see you dead at my feet than guilty ofa mortal sin." His biographers have told us of the long hours he spentin prayer, fasting, and penance, without the knowlege of his subjects.The French king was a great lover of justice. French fancy stillpictures him delivering judgements under the oak of Vincennes. It wasduring his reign that the "court of the king" (curia regis) wasorganized into a regular court of justice, having competent experts,and judicial commissions acting at regular periods. These commissionswere called parlements and the history of the "Dit d'Amiens" provesthat entire Christendom willingly looked upon him as an internationaljudiciary. It is an error, however, to represent him as a greatlegislator; the document known as "Etablissements de St. Louis" wasnot a code drawn up by order of the king, but merely a collection ofcustoms, written out before 1273 by a jurist who set forth in thisbook the customs of Orléans, Anjou, and Maine, to which he added a fewordinances of St. Louis.

St. Louis was a patron of architecture. The Sainte Chappelle, anarchitectural gem, was constructed in his reign, and it was under hispatronage that Robert of Sorbonne founded the "Collège de la Sorbonne," which became the seat of the theological faculty of Paris.

He was renowned for his charity. The peace and blessings of the realmcome to us through the poor he would say. Beggars were fed from histable, he ate their leavings, washed their feet, ministered to thewants of the lepers, and daily fed over one hundred poor. He foundedmany hospitals and houses: the House of the Felles-Dieu for reformedprostitutes; the Quinze-Vingt for 300 blind men (1254), hospitals atPontoise, Vernon, Compiégne.

The Enseignements (written instructions) which he left to his sonPhilip and to his daughter Isabel, the discourses preserved by thewitnesses at judicial investigations preparatory to his canonizationand Joinville's anecdotes show St. Louis to have been a man of soundcommon sense, possessing indefatigable energy, graciously kind and ofplayful humour, and constantly guarding against the temptation to beimperious. The caricature made of him by the envoy of the Count ofGueldre: "worthless devotee, hypocritical king" was very far from thetruth. On the contrary, St. Louis, through his personal qualities aswell as his saintliness, increased for many centuries the prestige ofthe French monarchy (see FRANCE). St. Louis's canonization wasproclaimed at Orvieto in 1297, by Boniface VIII. Of the inquiries inview of canonization, carried on from 1273 till 1297, we have onlyfragmentary reports published by Delaborde ("Mémoires de la société del'histoire de Paris et de l'Ilea de France," XXIII, 1896) and a seriesof extracts compiled by Guillaume de St. Pathus, Queen Marguerite'sconfessor, under the title of "Vie Monseigneur Saint Loys" (Paris,1899).

GEORGES GOYAU

Transcribed by Paul T. Crowley

1226-1270

http://www.dcs.hull.ac.uk/cgi-gin/gedlkup/n=royal?royal01740his feast dayis 25th August canonized 11 Aug.1297

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["the Saint"; King of France; His mother, Blanche of Castile, was regentduring his minority, 1226-1236. His reforms were resisted by thenobles1242-1243, and Louis won two victories over them at Tallebourg andSantes. He took the crusadersv ow, 1244, and went on the sixth crusade,1248-54; his mother again became regentin his absence, until her death,1252. He was defeated and captured, 1250, at ElMansura, Egypt; remainedin Syria four years. Signed Treaty of Corbeil, 1258; gave up claims ofFrance to Rousillon and Barcelona. Treaty of Paris, 1259, with England;claims of King Henry III adjusted; Normandy, Anjou, Touraine, MaineandPoitou became French, while the domains in the south went to Henry. Hesanctioned the conquest of Naples, 1265, by his brother, Charles ofAnjou. Planned another crusade, 1266-70, but died at Tunis soon afterleaving France. Canonized, 1297, by Pope Boniface III] (Goering Descent)
As a child, Louis' education was in he hands of his mother Blanche, wh o brought him up in the strict tradition of Christian piety and virtue . It is reported that Louis grew into a mild and gentle man in his pr ivate life. In the early part of his reign, Louis and his mother, wh o became regent after the death of her husband, were confronted with a rebellion of the French nobles, but with the aid of Thibaut IV and t he Papal Legate, the Bishop of Porto, the rebellion was successfully s uppressed. This marked the beginning of the absolute rule exercised b y Louis IX during his entire reign. His reign saw the improvement of justice by the abolition of trail by combat and his courts insisted o n actual evidence before a judge. It is said howver that he did insis t on barbarous treatment of both Jews and heretics.

His mother, Blanche of Castile, was regent during his minority (1226- 34), and her regency probably lasted even after Louis reached his majo rity; she was his chief adviser until her death. During the early year s of the reign, the queen mother suppressed several revolts of the gre at nobles, led by Pierre Mauclerc (Peter I), duke of Brittany, and sup ported by Duke Raymond VII of Toulouse and King Henry III of England . In 1239, Louis acquired the county of Macon for 100 livres-tournoi s from Galeran d'Irvri - Viscount of Meulan. From 1240 until 1243, Lo uis subdued new revolts in S France, securing the submission of Poito u and of Raymond VII, and repulsing a weak invasion (1242) by Henry II I. After a brush with death, and the taking of Jerusalem by the Mosle ms, Louis took the cross in 1244, but did not leave on the crusade to Egypt (the Seventh Crusade; see Crusades) until 1248. His mother Blan che pleaded with him not to go. Prior to leaving, Baldwin II of Const antinople appeared in France with what he claimed to be the original c rown of thorns. Louis IX commissioned the church of 'Saint-Chapelle' to be built to house the relic.

Louis embarked for the middle east in 1248 and left his mother Blanch e as regent. Louis and his army headed for Egypt. In June 1249, Loui s landed at the mouth of the Nile river. and quickly took Damietta. In stead of trading Jeusalem for Damietta as offered by the Egyptian sult an, Louis decided to attack the Egyptian capital of Cairo, over 100 mi les upstream on teh Nile from the Louis position on the coast. After the Nile floods subsided, Louis made his way up streat to the area of Mansura about 40 miles from the coast. There his army encountered opp osition. He met the oppossing force with a suprise attack on 8 Februa ry 1250 that suceeded admirably. But his brother Robert of Artois lau nced a pursuit with his own columns instead of waiting and cooperatin g with his brothers. Robert's column was destroyed. Louis was no lon ger able to maintain his advance with his force so weakened. He was fo rced to retreat and the Moslems pursued. On 6 April 1250 Louis was at tacked, closed in on and virtually annihilated. Thus defeated, he wa s captured al-Mansurah, he ransomed himself for 800,000 gold livres an d agreed to release Damietta. He remained in the Holy Land until 1254 , helping to strengthen the fortifications of the Christian colonies, but the crusade was a failure. In 1254 and 1256, Louis laid down ordi nances ofr his ballis and seneschals. On 11 May 1258, Louis conclude d the treaty of Corbeil with James I of Aragon, that allowed James to keep the province of Roussilon. After his return he attempted to brin g about a peaceful settlement of territorial claims with Henry III. Ag reement was reached in the Treaty of Paris, ratified in 1259. By its t erms Louis ceded Limoges, Cahors, and Périgueux to Henry in exchange f or Henry's renunciation of Normandie, Anjou, Maine, Touraine, and Poit ou and his recognition of the King of France as suzerain for the reduc ed duchy of Aquitaine.

The 'Age of Louis', from 1254 to 1269, was a period of peace and tranq uility for France, and was almost completely free from private wars. During his reign, one of his passions was the collection of rare manus cripts and the encouragement of literature. The Treaty of Paris, in D ecember 1259, between Louis IX and Henry III of England, adjusted the dispute between the two monarchs over the question of English holding s in France. Louis IX participated in two crusades, the first from Au gust 1248 until 1254, and the second in 1270. In about 1265, Louis co mmissioned his younger brother Charles to Italy, and thus entangled fr ance in the affairs of Italy. With the renewed power of a new sultan who had gained power in Egypt, Louis IX becmae increasingly uneasy ove r the situation in Egypt. His brother Charles did not want him to mov e against the middle east and particularly the Baybars whom he wanted as allies agains the Byzentines in his effort to gain Constantinople . Louis however went on the crusade with his three brothers, who wer e joined by John of Joinville. During the latter crusade he died of t he plague. When Louis died, stretched out on a bed of ashes. He is s aid to have been literally 'every inch a king', being taller by a hea d than any of his knights.

Louis made a favorable treaty with King James I of Aragón by yielding the French claim to Roussillon and Barcelona in return for James's aba ndonment of his claim to Provence and Languedoc. A respected arbitrato r, Louis settled succession disputes in Flanders and Hainaut and in Na varre; he attempted unsuccessfully to settle the bitter controversy be tween Henry III and the English barons by judging in favor of the king . In 1270, Louis undertook the Eighth Crusade, but he died soon after landing in Tunis. He was succeeded by his son, Philip III. Under Loui s IX, France enjoyed unprecedented prosperity and peace. Louis continu ed the reforms of his grandfather, Philip II. He curbed private feuda l warfare, simplified administration, improved the distribution of tax es, encouraged the use of Roman law, and extended the appellate jurisd iction of the crown to all cases. Louis was pious and ascetic, yet a g ood administrator and diplomat. He was canonized in 1297. Feast: Aug. 25. An additional reference for Louis includes: Jean de Joinville; bi ography by M. W. Labarge (1968); W. C. Jordan, Louis the Ninth (1979) . ( Ref: The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 20 04).

King Louis IX of France or Saint Louis (April 25, 1215 - August 25, 1 270) was King of France from 1226 until his death. Born at Poissy, Fr ance, he was a member of the Capetian dynasty and the son of King Loui s VIII and Blanche of Castile. Much of what we know of Louis' life co mes from Jean de Joinville's famous biography of Louis, Life of Saint Louis. Joinville was a close friend, confidant, and counselor to the k ing, and also participated as a witness in the papal inquest into Loui s' life that ended with his canonization in 1297 by Pope Boniface VIII . Louis was eleven years old when his father died in 1226. He was cro wned king the same year in the cathedral at Reims. He is styled as a handsome knightly figure, slender and upstanding with unforgettable ch arm.

Because of Louis' youth, his mother, Blanche of Castile, ruled France as regent until 1234, when Louis was deemed of age to rule himself. Sh e continued as an important counselor to the king until her death in12 52. When Louis came of age in 1234, Louis took control of the kingdo m in his own right. On May 27, 1234 Louis married Marguerite de Prove nce (1221 - December 21, 1295), the sister of Eleanor, the wife of Hen ry III of England. Louis was the elder brother of Charles I of Sicil y (1227 - 1285), whom he created count of Anjou, thus founding the sec ond Angevin dynasty. Louis brought an end to the Albigensian Crusade in 1229 after signing an agreement with Count Raymond VII of Toulouse that cleared his father of wrong-doing. Raymond VI had been suspected of murdering a preacher on a mission to convert the Cathars.

Louis' piety and kindness towards the poor were much celebrated. He we nt on crusade twice, in 1248 (Seventh Crusade) and then in 1270 (Eight h Crusade). Both crusades were total failures. After initial success i n his first attempt, Louis's army was met by overwhelming resistance f rom the Egyptian army and citizens. In 1249, Louis was eventually defe ated and taken prisoner in Mansoura, Egypt. Louis and his companions w ere then released in return for the surrender of the French army and a large ransom. On 1 July 1270, Louis embarked for Tunis and eventual ly landed at the site of the ancient Carthage. Almost at once the arm y was stuck by the plague. Louis died near Tunis during the latter exp edition on August 25, 1270 traditionally believed to be during an outb reak of plague but thought by modern scholars to be dysentery.

Some of his entrails were buried directly on the spot in Tunisia, wher e a Tomb of Saint-Louis can still be visited today, whereas other part s of his entrails were sealed in an urn and placed in the Basilica of Monreale, Palermo, where they still remain. His corpse was taken, via a short stay at the Basilica of Saint Dominic in Bologna, to the Frenc h royal necropolis at Saint-Denis, resting in Lyon on the way. His tom b at Saint-Denis was a magnificent gilt brass monument designed in th e late 14th century. It was melted down during the French Wars of Reli gion, at which time the body of the king disappeared. Only one fingerw as rescued and is kept at Saint-Denis. Pope Boniface VIII proclaimed the canonization of Louis in 1297; he is the only French monarch ever to be made a saint. Louis IX was succeeded by his son, Philippe III.

A wooden statue of Saint Louis (perhaps a copy of the statue at the ch urch of Mainneville?) Louis' patronage of the arts drove much innovati on in Gothic art and architecture, and the style of his court radiate d throughout Europe by both the purchase of art objects from Parisian masters for export and by the marriage of the king's many daughters t o foreign husbands and their subsequent introduction of Parisian model s elsewhere. Louis' personal chapel, the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, wa s copied more than once by his descendants elsewhere. Louis most likel y ordered the production of the Morgan Bible, a masterpiece of medieva l painting.

The prestige and respect felt in Europe for King Louis IX was due mor e to the attraction that his benevolent personality created rather tha n to military domination. For his contemporaries, he was the quintesse ntial example of the Christian prince. This perception of Louis IX a s the quintessential Christian prince was reinforced by his religious zeal. Saint Louis was a devout Christian, and he built the Sainte Chap elle ("Holy Chapel"), located within the royal palace complex (now th e Paris Hall of Justice), on the Île de la Cité in the center of Paris . The Sainte Chapelle, a perfect example of the Rayonnant style of Got hic architecture, was erected as a shrine for the Crown of Thorns and a fragment of the True Cross, precious relics of the Passion of Jesus . Louis purchased these in 1239-1241 from Emperor Baldwin II of the La tin Empire of Constantinople, for the exorbitant sum of 135,000 livre s (the chapel, on the other hand, only cost 60,000 livres to build). T his purchase should be understood in the context of extreme religious fervor that existed in Europe in the 13th century. The purchase contri buted a lot to reinforce the central position of the king of France i n western Christendom, as well as to further increase the renown of Pa ris, then the largest city of western Europe. It was a time when citie s and rulers vied for relics, trying to increase their reputation and fame, and Louis IX had succeeded in securing the most prized of all re lics in his capital. The purchase was thus not only an act of devotion , but also a political gesture: the French monarchy was trying to esta blish the kingdom of France as the "new Jerusalem".

Louis IX took very seriously his mission of "lieutenant of God on Eart h," with which he had been invested when he had been crowned in Reims . Thus, in order to fulfill his duty, he conducted several crusades, a nd even though they were unsuccessful, it contributed to the prestige that he enjoyed. Contemporaries would not have understood if the king of France did not lead a crusade to the Holy Land. In the same vein, h e also ordered the expulsion of the Jews from France, although the loo se control of the central government over the kingdom meant that many Jews actually remained in the provinces. Again, this needs to be under stood in the context of the 13th century: the dislike of the Jews was general in Europe, as the Christians held the Jews responsible for th e death of Jesus Christ. The decision to expel the Jews was largely we lcome in all spheres of society.

In all these deeds, Louis IX tried to fulfill the duty of France, whic h was seen as "the eldest daughter of the Church" (la fille aînée de l 'Église), a tradition of protector of the Church going back to the Fra nks and Charlemagne, who had been crowned in Rome in 800. Indeed, the official Latin title of the kings of France was Rex Francorum, i.e. "k ing of the Franks," and the kings of France were also known by the tit le "very Christian king" (Rex Christianissimus). The relationship betw een France and the papacy was at its peak in the 12th and 13th centuri es, and most of the crusades were actually called by the popes from Fr ench soil. Eventually, in 1309, the popes even left Rome and relocate d to the French city of Avignon.

The children of Louis and Marguerite included: Blanche (1240 - April 2 9, 1243); Isabelle (March 2, 1241-January 28, 1271), married Theobald V of Champagne; Louis (February 25, 1244 - January 1260); Philippe II I (May 1, 1245 - October 5, 1285); Jean(born and died in 1248); Jean Tristan (1250 - August 3, 1270), married Yolande of Burgundy; Pierre ( 1251 - 1284), Count of Perche and Alençon; Count of Blois and Chartre s in right of his wife, Joanne of Châtillon; Blanche (1253 - 1323), ma rried Ferdinand de la Cerda, Infante of Castile; Marguerite (1254 - 12 71), married John I, Duke of Brabant; Robert, Count of Clermont (1256 - February 7, 1317) who was the ancestor of King Henry IV of France; A gnes of France (c. 1260 - December 19,1327), married Robert II, Duke o f Burgundy.

On 11 August 1297, Pope Boniface VIII inscribed Louis IX as a Saint o f the Church. Saint Louis ruled during the so-called "golden century of Saint Louis," when the kingdom of France was at its height in Europ e, both politically and economically. The king of France was regarded as a primus inter pares among the kings and rulers of Europe. He comma nded the largest army, and ruled the largest and most wealthy kingdom of Europe, a kingdom which was the European center of arts and intelle ctual thought (La Sorbonne) at the time. For many, King Louis IX embod ied the whole of Christendom in his person. His reputation of saintlin ess and fairness was already well established while he was alive, and on many occasions he was chosen as an arbiter in the quarrels opposin g the rulers of Europe.

He was Canonized in 1297, and stands in history as 'the ideal king'. Louis tended to approach everything with his Christian faith as his gu ide. Some sources suggest that had Louis been born to a different pos ition in life, he may well have become a monk and taken vows. He surr ounded himself with Franciscan and Dominican Friars. His ideas on obe dience and discipline were those which then prevailed in the mendican t orders. Louis IX of France was revered as a saint and painted in po rtraiture well after his death (such portraits may not accurately refl ect his appearance). Louis IX is often considered the model of the id eal Christian monarch. Because of the aura of holiness attached to th e memory of Louis IX, many Kings of France were called Louis, especial ly in the Bourbon dynasty (Louis XIII to Louis XVIII).

Several places throughout the world have been named after Saint Louis , St. Louis, Missouri, Saint-Louis du Sénégal in Senegal, Saint-Louis in Alsace, as well as Lake Saint-Louis in Quebec, and the Mission SanL uis Rey de Francia in California are among the many places named afte r the king. The Cathedral Saint-Louis in Versailles and the French ro yal Order of Saint Louis (1693 - 1790 and 1814-1830) were also create d after the king. Many places in Brazil called São Luís in Portugues e are named after Saint Louis. The Reliquary of Saint Louis IX, king of France (end13th c.); Museum of the Basilica of Saint Dominic, Bolog na, Italy Sidi Bou Said in Tunisia is said to have been named for thi s very Catholic French king. Tunisian legend tells the story of King L ouis falling in love with a Berber princess, changing his name to Abo u Said ibn Khalef ibn Yahia Ettamini el Beji (nicknamed "Sidi Bou Said ") for which a quaint town on the Tunisian coast is named. He became, according to this legend, an Islamic saint. A portrait of St. Louis h angs in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives.

GIVN Louis IX Koenig
SURN von Frankreich
NSFX King of France
AFN 8XJD-KF
DATE 9 SEP 2000
TIME 13:15:38

Person Source
[The Oxford Illustrated History of Medieval Europe] Kings of France:
Capetian and Valois.[Kopi av ROYALS.FTW]

Louis, an outstanding monarch of medieval times, was canonized in 1297.
His feat dat is August 25.Louis, an outstanding monarch of medieval times, was canonized in 1297.
His feat dat is August 25.
Louis, an outstanding monarch of medieval times, was canonized in 1297.
His feat dat is August 25.

died on an expedition against Tunis

Louis IX, King of France
25 August 1270
Louis was born in 1214 and became King of France when twelve years old. His mother, the half-English Blanche of Castile, was regent during his minority, and an influence while she lived. In 1234 he married Margaret of Provence, sister of Eleanor the wife of Henry III of England (no, not the couple from A Lion in Winter--that was Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine: this is two generations later).
Louis worked for the political unification of France, yielding Limoge, Cahors, and Perigeux to Henry in exchange for Henry's renunciation of all claims to Normandy, Anjou, Maine, Touraine, and Poitou (Treaty of Paris, 1259). He yielded French claims to Rousillon and Barcelona in exchange for the yielding of Spanish claims to Provence and Languedoc (Treaty of Corbeil, 1258). He largely eliminated the feuding and wars among French nobles and vassals that had ravaged France before his time. He protected vassals from oppression, and required their lords to fulfill their obligations. He reformed the system of taxation. He reformed the courts, so that every man in France, regardless of his station, had a far better chance of receiving justice than had previously been the case. He promoted the writing down of the law, so that it was clear what the laws were, and made major strides toward eliminating trial by combat in favor of trial by jury. (Trial by combat decided the guilt or innocence of the accused by a combat between the accused and the accuser, either personally or by proxy, with God being called on to uphold the right. Trial by ordeal required the accused to prove his innocence by, for example, walking across a bed of hot coals. Both were hold-overs from pre-Christian Frankish Law, and were vigorously denounced by many clergy, but took a long time to die out.) His reputation for integrity was such that foreign monarchs regularly asked him to arbitrate their disputes.
He founded a hospital for the poor, sick, and blind, known as the Quinze-Vingts (the Fifteen Score, originally for 300 inmates). His reign co-incided with the great era of the building of Gothic cathedrals in France. Robert de Sorbon, the founder of the Sorbonne (University of Paris) was his confessor and his personal friend, and Thomas Aquinas was a frequent guest at his table. (Once, it is said, Thomas dropped out of the conversation, lost in thought, and then suddenly struck the table with his fist and exclaimed, "That is a decisive argument against the Manichees!" Louis at once called for writing materials, so that Thomas could record the argument before he had a chance to forget it.)
He fought in two Crusades, both of which were total failures. In 1248 he led an army to the island of Cyprus (about 35 N 33 E), and was there joined by 200 English knights. In 1249 they proceeded to Egypt and took the city of Damietta, but discipline broke down and Louis was unable to keep the soldiers from looting. Disease ravaged the camp, and in 1250 the army suffered a disastrous defeat at Mansurah and Louis himself was taken prisoner. His Arab captors were quick to recognize in him a mixture of military valor and personal holiness, and were accustomed to kneel when speaking to him. He and his handful of surviving companions were released on the surrender of Damietta and the payment of a large ransom. He sailed to Palestine, visited the few Holy Places that were accessible, and returned to France in 1254. In 1270 he joined another crusade, which landed in Tunis, where he immediately caught typhoid fever and died on 25 August. His biography, by a friend and comrade in arms, the Sieur Jean de Joinville, is available in English in Chronicles of The Crusades, Penguin Paperbacks.

Louis, an outstanding monarch, was canonized in 1297. His feast day is August 25. Source: Royal Genealogies <http://ftp.cac.psu.edu/~saw/royal/>

{geni:occupation} King, Rey de Francia (1236-1270), Conde de Artois (1226-1237), REY DE FRANCIA

{geni:about_me} Louis IX, Roi de France1,2

, b. 25 April 1215, d. 25 August 1270

Louis IX, profondément chrétien, n'aime pas ces juifs qui ont refusé de reconnaître le Christ. Il condamne le Talmud parce que celui-ci, à ses yeux, dit des horreurs sur Jésus et présente la Vierge comme une gourgandine! Le roi, par ailleurs, n'aime pas ces gens qui constituent un corps étranger à l'intérieur du royaume qu'il cherche à unifier. Il est vrai que Saint Louis a été déconcerté par ce problème. «Les chrétiens ont un chef, se dit-il, c'est l'évêque. Les juifs n'ont personne, je dois donc être l'évêque des juifs: les punir quand ils se comportent mal, mais aussi les protéger quand ils sont injustement attaqués...» Il reste que Saint Louis a bien été un persécuteur des juifs.

- Au point de leur imposer, en 1269, le port de la rouelle?
C'est l'Eglise qui a pris cette décision au quatrième concile du Latran, en 1215. Saint Louis a longtemps refusé de l'appliquer, notamment par souci d'intégration des juifs à la communauté nationale. Mais il a cédé, à la fin de son règne, à la pression des juifs convertis de son entourage, dont le rôle fut extrêmement néfaste.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_IX_of_France

Louis IX, Roi de France was born on 25 April 1215 at Poissy, Île-de-France, France.

He was the son of Louis VIII, Roi de France and Blanca de Castilla

He married Marguerite de Provence, daughter of Raimond Berengar V, Comte de Provence and Beatrice di Savoia, in 1234.

He died on 25 August 1270 at age 55 at Tunis, Tunisia.

He was buried at Saint-Denis, Île-de-France, France.

Louis IX, Roi de France was a member of the House of Capet.2 Louis IX, Roi de France also went by the nick-name of Louis 'the Saint'.2 He succeeded to the title of Roi Louis IX de France in 1226.

Children of Louis IX, Roi de France and Marguerite de Provence

1.Blanche de France b. 1240, d. 1243

2.Isabelle de France b. 1242, d. 1271

3.Louis de France b. 1243, d. c 1260

4.Philippe III, Roi de France+2 b. 1 May 1245, d. 5 Oct 1285

5.Jean de France b. c 1247, d. 1248

6.Jean Tristan de France, Comte de Valois1 b. 1250, d. 1270

7.Pierre de France, Comte d'Alençon1 b. 1251, d. 1283

8.Blanche de France b. 1253, d. 1300

9.Marguerite de France b. c 1255, d. 1271

10.Robert de France, Comte de Clermont+ b. 1256, d. 1317

11.Agnes de France+ b. 1260, d. 1327

http://thepeerage.com/p10316.htm

*****************************************************************************

LOUIS IX OF FRANCE

From Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_IX_of_France

Louis IX (25 April 1215 – 25 August 1270), commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 to his death. He was also Count of Artois (as Louis II) from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was a member of the House of Capet and the son of King Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile. He is the only canonised king of France and consequently there are many places named after him. He established the Parlement of Paris.

Early life:

Louis was eleven years old when his father died on November 8, 1226. He was crowned king the same year in the cathedral at Reims.

Assumption of power:

Because of Louis's youth, his mother, Blanche of Castile, ruled France as regent during his minority. No date is given for Louis's assumption of the throne as king in his own right. His contemporaries viewed his reign as co-rule between the king and his mother, though historians generally view the year 1234 as the year in which Louis ruled as king with his mother assuming a more advisory role. She continued as an important counsellor to the king until her death in 1252. On May 27, 1234 Louis married Marguerite de Provence (1221 – December 21, 1295), the sister of Eleanor, the wife of Henry III of England.

Louis was the elder brother of Charles I of Sicily (1227–85), whom he created count of Anjou, thus founding the second Angevin dynasty. The horrific fate of that dynasty in Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers evidently did not tarnish Louis's credentials for sainthood.

Crusading:

Louis brought an end to the Albigensian Crusade in 1229 after signing an agreement with Count Raymond VII of Toulouse that cleared his father of wrong-doing. Raymond VI had been suspected of murdering a preacher on a mission to convert the Cathars.

Louis's piety and kindness towards the poor was much celebrated. He went on crusade twice, in 1248 (Seventh Crusade) and then in 1270 (Eighth Crusade). Both crusades were complete disasters; after initial success in his first attempt, Louis's army of 15,000 men was met by overwhelming resistance from the Egyptian army and people. Eventually, on April 13, 1250, Louis was defeated and taken prisoner in Mansoura, Egypt. Louis and his companions were then released in return for the surrender of the French army and a large ransom of 400,000 livres tournois (at the time France's annual revenue was only about 250,000 livres tournois).

Following his release from Egyptian captivity, Louis spent four years in the crusader Kingdoms of Acre, Caesarea, and Jaffe. Louis used his wealth to assist the crusaders in rebuilding their defenses and conducting diplomacy with the Islamic powers of Syria and Egypt. Upon his departure from Middle East Louis left a significant garrison in the city of Acre for its defense against Islamic attacks. The historic presence of this French garrison in the Middle East was later used as a justification for the French Mandate following the end of the First World War.

Relations with the Mongols:

Statue of Louis IX at the Sainte Chapelle, Paris.Saint Louis had several epistolar exchanges with Mongol rulers of the period, and organized the dispatch of ambassadors to them. Contacts started in 1248, with Mongolian envoys bearing a letter from Eljigidei, the Mongol ruler of Armenia and Persia, offering a military alliance: when Louis disembarked in Cyprus in preparation of his first Crusade, he was met in Nicosia with two Nestorians from Mossul named David and Marc, who were envoys of the Mongol ruler Eljigidei. They communicated a proposal to form an alliance with the Mongols against the Ayubids and against the Califat in Baghdad.

In response, Louis sent André de Longjumeau, a Dominican priest, as an emissary to the Great Khan Güyük in Mongolia. Unfortunately Güyük died before their arrival at his court however, and his embassy was dismissed by his widow, who gave them gift and a letter to Saint Louis.

Eljigidei planned an attack on the Muslims in Baghdad in 1248. This advance was, ideally, to be conducted in alliance with Louis, in concert with the Seventh Crusade. However, Güyük's early death, caused by drink, made Eljigidei postpone operations until after the interregnum, and the successful Siege of Baghdad would not take place until 1258.

In 1253, Saint Louis further dispatched to the Mongol court the Franciscan William of Rubruck, who went to visit the Great Khan Möngke in Mongolia. Möngke gave a letter to William in 1254, asking for the submission of Saint Louis.

Full military collaboration would take place in 1259-1260 when the Frank knights of the ruler of Antioch Bohemond VI and his father-in-law Hetoum I allied with the Mongols under Hulagu to conquer Muslim Syria, taking together the city of Alep, and later Damas.[4] Contacts would further develop under Philip the Fair, leading to a military cooperation between Christian powers and the Mongols against the Mamluks.

Patron of arts and arbiter of Europe:

Louis' patronage of the arts drove much innovation in Gothic art and architecture, and the style of his court radiated throughout Europe by both the purchase of art objects from Parisian masters for export and by the marriage of the king's daughters and female relatives to foreign husbands and their subsequent introduction of Parisian models elsewhere. Louis' personal chapel, the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, was copied more than once by his descendants elsewhere. Louis most likely ordered the production of the Morgan Bible, a masterpiece of medieval painting.

Saint Louis ruled during the so-called "golden century of Saint Louis", when the kingdom of France was at its height in Europe, both politically and economically. The king of France was regarded as a primus inter pares among the kings and rulers of Europe. He commanded the largest army, and ruled the largest and most wealthy kingdom of Europe, a kingdom which was the European center of arts and intellectual thought (La Sorbonne) at the time. For many, King Louis IX embodied the whole of Christendom in his person. His reputation of saintliness and fairness was already well established while he was alive, and on many occasions he was chosen as an arbiter in the quarrels opposing the rulers of Europe.

The prestige and respect felt in Europe for King Louis IX was due more to the attraction that his benevolent personality created rather than to military domination. For his contemporaries, he was the quintessential example of the Christian prince.

Religious zeal:

The Holy Crown of Jesus Christ was bought by Louis IX from Baldwin II of Constantinople. It is preserved today in a 19th century reliquary, in Notre Dame de Paris.

The perception of Louis IX as the exemplary Christian prince was reinforced by his religious zeal. Saint Louis was a devout Catholic, and he built the Sainte Chapelle ("Holy Chapel"), located within the royal palace complex (now the Paris Hall of Justice), on the Île de la Cité in the centre of Paris. The Sainte Chapelle, a perfect example of the Rayonnant style of Gothic architecture, was erected as a shrine for the Crown of Thorns and a fragment of the True Cross, precious relics of the Passion of Jesus. Louis purchased these in 1239–41 from Emperor Baldwin II of the Latin Empire of Constantinople, for the exorbitant sum of 135,000 livres (the chapel, on the other hand, cost only 60,000 livres to build). This purchase should be understood in the context of the extreme religious fervor that existed in Europe in the 13th century. The purchase contributed greatly to reinforcing the central position of the king of France in western Christendom, as well as to increasing the renown of Paris, then the largest city of western Europe. During a time when cities and rulers vied for relics, trying to increase their reputation and fame, Louis IX had succeeded in securing the most prized of all relics in his capital.......... The purchase was thus not only an act of devotion, but also a political gesture: the French monarchy was trying to establish the kingdom of France as the "new Jerusalem."

Louis IX took very seriously his mission as "lieutenant of God on Earth," with which he had been invested when he had been crowned in Rheims. Thus, in order to fulfill his duty, he conducted two crusades, and even though they were unsuccessful, they contributed to his prestige. Contemporaries would not have understood if the king of France did not lead a crusade to the Holy Land. In order to finance his first crusade Louis ordered the expulsion of all Jews engaged in usury. This action enabled Louis to confiscate the property of expelled Jews for use in his crusade. However, he did not eliminate the debts incurred by Christians. One-third of the debt was forgiven, but the other two-thirds was to be remitted to the royal treasury. Louis also ordered, at the urging of Pope Gregory IX, the burning of some 12,000 copies of the Talmud in Paris in 1243. Such legislation against the Talmud, not uncommon in the history of Christendom, was due to medieval courts' concerns that its production and circulation might weaken the faith of Christian individuals and threaten the Christian basis of society, the protection of which was the duty of any Christian monarch..........

In addition to Louis's legislation against Jews and usury, he expanded the scope of the Inquisition in France. The area most affected by this expansion was southern France where the Cathar heresy had been strongest. The rate of these confiscations reached its highest levels in the years prior to his first crusade, and slowed upon his return to France in 1254.

In all these deeds, Louis IX tried to fulfill the duty of France, which was seen 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 the Pope in Rome in 800. Indeed, the official Latin title of the kings of France was Rex Francorum, i.e. "king of the Franks," and the kings of France were also known by the title "most Christian king" (Rex Christianissimus). The relationship between France and the papacy was at its peak in the 12th and 13th centuries, and most of the crusades were actually called by the popes from French soil. Eventually, in 1309, Pope Clement V even left Rome and relocated to the French city of Avignon, beginning the era known as the Avignon Papacy (or, more disparagingly, the "Babylonian captivity").

Ancestors:

Louis IX's ancestors in three generations Louis IX of France Father:

Louis VIII of France Paternal Grandfather:

Philip II of France Paternal Great-grandfather:

Louis VII of France

Paternal Great-grandmother:

Adèle of Champagne

Paternal Grandmother:

Isabelle of Hainaut Paternal Great-grandfather:

Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut

Paternal Great-grandmother:

Margaret I, Countess of Flanders

Mother:

Blanche of Castile Maternal Grandfather:

Alfonso VIII of Castile Maternal Great-grandfather:

Sancho III of Castile

Maternal Great-grandmother:

Blanca of Navarre

Maternal Grandmother:

Leonora of England Maternal Great-grandfather:

Henry II of England

Maternal Great-grandmother:

Eleanor of Aquitaine

Children:

Blanche (1240 – April 29, 1243)

Isabelle (March 2, 1241 – January 28, 1271), married Theobald V of Champagne

Louis (February 25, 1244 – January 1260)

Philippe III (May 1, 1245 – October 5, 1285)

Jean (born and died in 1248)

Jean Tristan (1250 – August 3, 1270), married Yolande of Burgundy

Pierre (1251–84), Count of Perche and Alençon; Count of Blois and Chartres in right of his wife, Joanne of Châtillon

Blanche (1253–1323), married Ferdinand de la Cerda, Infante of Castille

Marguerite (1254–71), married John I, Duke of Brabant

Robert, Count of Clermont (1256 – February 7, 1317). He was the ancestor of King Henry IV of France.

Agnes of France (ca 1260 – December 19, 1327), married Robert II, Duke of Burgundy

Death and legacy:

During his second crusade, Louis died at Tunis, August 25, 1270, from what was traditionally believed to be bubonic plague but is thought by modern scholars to be dysentery. The local tradition of Sidi Bou Said claims that the future Saint Louis did not die in 1270, but converted to Islam under the name of Sidi Bou Said, died at the end of the 13th century, and was buried as a saint of Islam in Djebel-Marsa.

Christian tradition states that some of his entrails were buried directly on the spot in Tunisia, where a Tomb of Saint-Louis can still be visited today, whereas other parts of his entrails were sealed in an urn and placed in the Basilica of Monreale, Palermo, where they still remain. His corpse was taken, after a short stay at the Basilica of Saint Dominic in Bologna, to the French royal necropolis at Saint-Denis, resting in Lyon on the way. His tomb at Saint-Denis was a magnificent gilt brass monument designed in the late 14th century. It was melted down during the French Wars of Religion, at which time the body of the king disappeared. Only one finger was rescued and is kept at Saint-Denis. Pope Boniface VIII proclaimed the canonization of Louis in 1297; he is the only French monarch ever to be made a saint.

Louis IX was succeeded by his son, Philippe III

Veneration as Saint Louis:

Louis IX of France was revered as a saint and painted in portraiture well after his death (such portraits may not accurately reflect his appearance). This portrait was painted by El Greco ca 1592–95.

King of France, Confessor

Born 25 April 1214(1214-04-25)/1215, Poissy, France

Died 25 August 1270 (aged 56), Tunis in what is now Tunisia

Venerated in Roman Catholic Church

Canonized 1297 by Pope Boniface VIII

Feast 25 August

Louis IX is often considered the model of the ideal Christian monarch. Because of the aura of holiness attached to the memory of Louis IX, many Kings of France were called Louis, especially in the Bourbon dynasty (Louis XIII to Louis XVIII).

The Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Louis is a Roman Catholic religious order founded in 1842 and named in his honour.

Places named after Saint Louis:

The cities of San Luis Potosí in Mexico, Saint Louis, Missouri, Saint-Louis du Sénégal in Senegal, Saint-Louis in Alsace, as well as Lake Saint-Louis in Quebec, and the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in California are among the many places named after the king.

The Cathedral Saint-Louis in Versailles, Basilica of St Louis, King of France in St. Louis, Missouri, the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri, and the French royal Order of Saint Louis (1693–1790 and 1814–30) were also created after the king. The Saint Louis Cathedral in New Orleans is also named after the king.

Many places in Brazil called São Luís in Portuguese are named after Saint Louis.

Sidi Bou Said in Tunisia is said to have been named for this very Catholic French king [3]. Tunisian legend tells the story of King Louis falling in love with a Berber princess, changing his name to Abou Said ibn Khalef ibn Yahia Ettamini el Beji (nicknamed "Sidi Bou Said") for which a quaint town on the Tunisian coast is named. He became, according to this legend, an Islamic saint.

Famous portraits:

Coin of Saint Louis, Cabinet des Médailles.A portrait of St. Louis hangs in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives.

Saint Louis is also portrayed on a frieze depicting a timeline of important lawgivers throughout world history in the Courtroom at the Supreme Court of the United States.

Louis IX of France

House of Capet

Born: 25 April 1215 Died: 25 August 1270

Preceded by

Louis VIII of France King of France

8 November 1226 – 25 August 1270 Succeeded by

Philip III

Count of Artois

8 November 1226 – 1237 Succeeded by

Robert I

Persondata

NAME Louis IX

ALTERNATIVE NAMES Saint Louis

SHORT DESCRIPTION King of France

DATE OF BIRTH 25 April 1215(1215-04-25)

PLACE OF BIRTH Poissy, France

DATE OF DEATH 25 August 1270

PLACE OF DEATH Tunis, North Africa

--------------------

Louis IX, King of France

Reign 8 November 1226 – 25 August 1270

Coronation 29 November 1226

Consort Marguerite of Provence

Father Louis VIII

Mother Blanche of Castile

Born 25 April 1214

Poissy, France

Died 25 August 1270 (aged 56)

Tunis, North Africa

Burial Saint Denis Basilica

French Monarchy

Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 to his death. He was also Count of Artois (as Louis II) from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was a member of the House of Capet and the son of King Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile. He is the only canonized King of France and consequently there are many places named after him, most notably St. Louis, Missouri in the United States. He established the Parlement of Paris. St. Louis was also a tertiary of the Order of the Holy Trinity and Captives (the Trinitarians). The General Chapter of the Trinitarian Order formally affiliated St. Louis IX to the Order in Cerfroid on June 11, 1256.

Louis was born in 1214 at Poissy, near Paris, the son of King Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile. A member of the House of Capet, Louis was twelve years old when his father died on November 8, 1226. He was crowned king within the month at the Reims cathedral. Because of Louis's youth, his mother ruled France as regent during his minority.

His younger brother Charles I of Sicily (1227–85) was created count of Anjou, thus founding the second Angevin dynasty. The horrific fate of that dynasty in Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers evidently did not tarnish Louis's credentials for sainthood.

No date is given for the beginning of Louis's personal rule. His contemporaries viewed his reign as co-rule between the king and his mother, though historians generally view the year 1234 as the year in which Louis began ruling personally, with his mother assuming a more advisory role. She continued as an important counselor to the king until her death in 1252.

On May 27, 1234 Louis married Marguerite of Provence (1221 – December 21, 1295), whose sister Eleanor was the wife of Henry III of England.

At the age of 15, Louis brought an end to the Albigensian Crusade in 1229 after signing an agreement with Count Raymond VII of Toulouse that cleared his father of wrong-doing. Raymond VI of Toulouse had been suspected of murdering a preacher on a mission to convert the Cathars.

Louis's piety and kindness towards the poor was much celebrated. He went on two crusades, in his mid-30s in 1248 (Seventh Crusade) and then again in his mid-50s in 1270 (Eighth Crusade). Both were complete disasters; after initial success in his first attempt, Louis's army of 15,000 men was met by overwhelming resistance from the Egyptian army and peoplecite.

He had begun with the rapid capture of the port of Damietta in June 1249, an attack which did cause some disruption in the Muslim Ayyubid empire, especially as the current sultan was on his deathbed. But the march from Damietta towards Cairo through the Nile River Delta went slowly. During this time, the Ayyubid sultan died, and a sudden power shift took place, as the sultan's slave wife Shajar al-Durr set events in motion which were to make her Queen, and eventually place the Egyptians' slave army of the Mamluks in power. On April 6, 1250 Louis lost his army at the Battle of Fariskur and was captured by the Egyptians. His release was eventually negotiated, in return for a ransom of 400,000 livres tournois (at the time France's annual revenue was only about 250,000 livres tournois, so it was necessary to obtain a loan from the Templars), and the surrender of the city of Damietta.

Following his release from Egyptian captivity, Louis spent four years in the crusader Kingdoms of Acre, Caesarea, and Jaffe. Louis used his wealth to assist the crusaders in rebuilding their defenses and conducting diplomacy with the Islamic powers of Syria and Egypt. Upon his departure from the Middle East, Louis left a significant garrison in the city of Acre for its defense against Islamic attacks. The historic presence of this French garrison in the Middle East was later used as a justification for the French Mandate following the end of the First World War.

Louis exchanged multiple letters and emissaries with Mongol rulers of the period. During his first crusade in 1248, Louis was approached by envoys from Eljigidei, the Mongol ruler of Armenia and Persia. Eljigidei suggested that King Louis should land in Egypt, while Eljigidei attacked Baghdad, in order to prevent the Saracens of Egypt and those of Syria from joining forces. Louis sent André de Longjumeau, a Dominican priest, as an emissary to the Great Khan Güyük Khan in Mongolia. However, Güyük died before the emissary arrived at his court, and nothing concrete occurred. Louis dispatched another envoy to the Mongol court, the Franciscan William of Rubruck, who went to visit the Great Khan Möngke Khan in Mongolia.

Louis' patronage of the arts drove much innovation in Gothic art and architecture, and the style of his court radiated throughout Europe by both the purchase of art objects from Parisian masters for export and by the marriage of the king's daughters and female relatives to foreign husbands and their subsequent introduction of Parisian models elsewhere. Louis' personal chapel, the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, was copied more than once by his descendants elsewhere. Louis most likely ordered the production of the Morgan Bible, a masterpiece of medieval painting.

Saint Louis ruled during the so-called "golden century of Saint Louis", when the kingdom of France was at its height in Europe, both politically and economically. The king of France was regarded as a primus inter pares among the kings and rulers of the continent. He commanded the largest army, and ruled the largest and most wealthy kingdom of Europe, a kingdom which was the European center of arts and intellectual thought (La Sorbonne) at the time. The prestige and respect felt in Europe for King Louis IX was due more to the attraction that his benevolent personality created rather 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 of saintliness and fairness was already well established while he was alive, and on many occasions he was chosen as an arbiter in the quarrels opposing the rulers of Europe.

The Holy Crown of Jesus Christ was bought by Louis IX from Baldwin II of Constantinople. It is preserved today in a 19th century reliquary, in Notre Dame de Paris.The perception of Louis IX as the exemplary Christian prince was reinforced by his religious zeal. Louis was a devout Catholic, and he built the Sainte-Chapelle ("Holy Chapel"), located within the royal palace complex (now the Paris Hall of Justice), on the Île de la Cité in the centre of Paris. The Sainte Chapelle, a perfect example of the Rayonnant style of Gothic architecture, was erected as a shrine for the Crown of Thorns and a fragment of the True Cross, precious relics of the Passion of Jesus. Louis purchased these in 1239–41 from Emperor Baldwin II of the Latin Empire of Constantinople, for the exorbitant sum of 135,000 livres (the chapel, on the other hand, cost only 60,000 livres to build). This purchase should be understood in the context of the extreme religious fervor that existed in Europe in the 13th century. The purchase contributed greatly to reinforcing the central position of the king of France in western Christendom, as well as to increasing the renown of Paris, then the largest city of western Europe. During a time when cities and rulers vied for relics, trying to increase their reputation and fame, Louis IX had succeeded in securing the most prized of all relics in his capital. The purchase was thus not only an act of devotion, but also a political gesture: the French monarchy was trying to establish the kingdom of France as the "new Jerusalem."

Louis IX took very seriously his mission as "lieutenant of God on Earth," with which he had been invested when he was crowned in Rheims. Thus, in order to fulfill his duty, he conducted two crusades, and even though they were unsuccessful, they contributed to his prestige. Contemporaries would not have understood if the king of France did not lead a crusade to the Holy Land. In order to finance his first crusade Louis ordered the expulsion of all Jews engaged in usury and the confiscation of their property, for use in his crusade. However, he did not cancel the debts owed by Christians. One-third of the debts was forgiven, but the other two-thirds was to be remitted to the royal treasury. Louis also ordered, at the urging of Pope Gregory IX, the burning in Paris in 1243 of some 12,000 manuscript copies of the Talmud and other Jewish books. Such legislation against the Talmud, not uncommon in the history of Christendom, was due to medieval courts' concerns that its production and circulation might weaken the faith of Christian individuals and threaten the Christian basis of society, the protection of which was the duty of any Christian monarch.

In addition to Louis's legislation against Jews and usury, he expanded the scope of the Inquisition in France. The area most affected by this expansion was southern France where the Cathar heresy had been strongest. The rate of these confiscations reached its highest levels in the years prior to his first crusade, and slowed upon his return to France in 1254.

In all these deeds, Louis IX tried to fulfill the duty of France, which was seen 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 the Pope in Rome in 800. Indeed, the official Latin title of the kings of France was Rex Francorum, i.e. "king of the Franks," and the kings of France were also known by the title "most Christian king" (Rex Christianissimus). The relationship between France and the papacy was at its peak in the 12th and 13th centuries, and most of the crusades were actually called by the popes from French soil. Eventually, in 1309, Pope Clement V even left Rome and relocated to the French city of Avignon, beginning the era known as the Avignon Papacy (or, more disparagingly, the "Babylonian captivity").

During his second crusade, Louis died at Tunis, August 25, 1270, and was succeeded by his son, Philip III. Louis was traditionally believed to have died from bubonic plague but is thought by modern scholars to be dysentery. The Bubonic Plague didn't hit Europe until 1348, so the likelihood of him contracting and ultimately dying from the Bubonic Plague was very slim.

Christian tradition states that some of his entrails were buried directly on the spot in Tunisia, where a Tomb of Saint-Louis can still be visited today, whereas other parts of his entrails were sealed in an urn and placed in the Basilica of Monreale, Palermo, where they still remain. His corpse was taken, after a short stay at the Basilica of Saint Dominic in Bologna, to the French royal necropolis at Saint-Denis, resting in Lyon on the way. His tomb at Saint-Denis was a magnificent gilt brass monument designed in the late 14th century. It was melted down during the French Wars of Religion, at which time the body of the king disappeared. Only one finger was rescued and is kept at Saint-Denis.

Pope Boniface VIII proclaimed the canonization of Louis in 1297; he is one of the few royals in French history to have been declared a saint.

Louis IX is often considered the model of the ideal Christian monarch. Because of the aura of holiness attached to his memory, many Kings of France were called Louis, especially in the Bourbon dynasty, who directly descended from one of his younger sons.

The Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Louis is a Roman Catholic religious order founded in 1842 and named in his honour.

The cities of San Luis Potosí in Mexico, Saint Louis, Missouri, Saint-Louis du Sénégal in Senegal, Saint-Louis in Alsace, as well as Lake Saint-Louis in Quebec, and the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in California are among the many places named after the king.

The Cathedral Saint-Louis in Versailles, Basilica of St. Louis, King of France in St. Louis, Missouri, the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri, and the French royal Order of Saint Louis (1693–1790 and 1814–30) were also created after the king. The Saint Louis Cathedral in New Orleans is named after him.

Many places in Brazil called São Luís in Portuguese are named after Saint Louis.

--------------------

Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 to his death. He was also Count of Artois (as Louis II) from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was a member of the House of Capet and the son of King Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile. He is the only canonized King of France and consequently there are many places named after him, most notably St. Louis, Missouri in the United States. He established the Parlement of Paris.

Much of what is known of Louis's life comes from Jean de Joinville's famous biography of Louis, Life of Saint Louis. Joinville was a close friend, confidant, and counsellor to the king, and also participated as a witness in the papal inquest into Louis' life that ended with 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. The fourth important source of information is William of Saint-Pathus' biography, which he wrote using the papal inquest mentioned above. 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.

Louis was born in 1214 at Poissy, near Paris, the son of King Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile. A member of the House of Capet, Louis was twelve years old when his father died on November 8, 1226. He was crowned king within the month at the Reims cathedral. Because of Louis's youth, his mother ruled France as regent during his minority.

His younger brother Charles I of Sicily (1227–85) was created count of Anjou, thus founding the second Angevin dynasty. The horrific fate of that dynasty in Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers evidently did not tarnish Louis's credentials for sainthood.

No date is given for the beginning of Louis's personal rule. His contemporaries viewed his reign as co-rule between the king and his mother, though historians generally view the year 1234 as the year in which Louis began ruling personally, with his mother assuming a more advisory role. She continued as an important counselor to the king until her death in 1252.

On May 27, 1234 Louis married Marguerite of Provence (1221 – December 21, 1295), whose sister Eleanor was the wife of Henry III of England.

At the age of 15, Louis brought an end to the Albigensian Crusade in 1229 after signing an agreement with Count Raymond VII of Toulouse that cleared his father of wrong-doing. Raymond VI of Toulouse had been suspected of murdering a preacher on a mission to convert the Cathars.

Louis's piety and kindness towards the poor was much celebrated. He went on two crusades, in his mid-30s in 1248 (Seventh Crusade) and then again in his mid-50s in 1270 (Eighth Crusade). Both were complete disasters; after initial success in his first attempt, Louis's army of 15,000 men was met by overwhelming resistance from the Egyptian army and peoplecite.

He had begun with the rapid capture of the port of Damietta in June 1249,[1] an attack which did cause some disruption in the Muslim Ayyubid empire, especially as the current sultan was on his deathbed. But the march from Damietta towards Cairo through the Nile River Delta went slowly. During this time, the Ayyubid sultan died, and a sudden power shift took place, as the sultan's slave wife Shajar al-Durr set events in motion which were to make her Queen, and eventually place the Egyptians' slave army of the Mamluks in power. On April 6, 1250 Louis lost his army at the Battle of Fariskur and was captured by the Egyptians. His release was eventually negotiated, in return for a ransom of 400,000 livres tournois (at the time France's annual revenue was only about 250,000 livres tournois, so it was necessary to obtain a loan from the Templars), and the surrender of the city of Damietta.

Following his release from Egyptian captivity, Louis spent four years in the crusader Kingdoms of Acre, Caesarea, and Jaffe. Louis used his wealth to assist the crusaders in rebuilding their defenses and conducting diplomacy with the Islamic powers of Syria and Egypt. Upon his departure from the Middle East, Louis left a significant garrison in the city of Acre for its defense against Islamic attacks. The historic presence of this French garrison in the Middle East was later used as a justification for the French Mandate following the end of the First World War.

Louis exchanged multiple letters and emissaries with Mongol rulers of the period. During his first crusade in 1248, Louis was approached by envoys from Eljigidei, the Mongol ruler of Armenia and Persia.Eljigidei suggested that King Louis should land in Egypt, while Eljigidei attacked Baghdad, in order to prevent the Saracens of Egypt and those of Syria from joining forces. Louis sent André de Longjumeau, a Dominican priest, as an emissary to the Great Khan Güyük Khan in Mongolia. However, Güyük died before the emissary arrived at his court, and nothing concrete occurred. Louis dispatched another envoy to the Mongol court, the Franciscan William of Rubruck, who went to visit the Great Khan Möngke Khan in Mongolia.

Louis' patronage of the arts drove much innovation in Gothic art and architecture, and the style of his court radiated throughout Europe by both the purchase of art objects from Parisian masters for export and by the marriage of the king's daughters and female relatives to foreign husbands and their subsequent introduction of Parisian models elsewhere. Louis' personal chapel, the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, was copied more than once by his descendants elsewhere. Louis most likely ordered the production of the Morgan Bible, a masterpiece of medieval painting.

Saint Louis ruled during the so-called "golden century of Saint Louis", when the kingdom of France was at its height in Europe, both politically and economically. The king of France was regarded as a primus inter pares among the kings and rulers of the continent. He commanded the largest army, and ruled the largest and most wealthy kingdom of Europe, a kingdom which was the European center of arts and intellectual thought (La Sorbonne) at the time. The prestige and respect felt in Europe for King Louis IX was due more to the attraction that his benevolent personality created rather 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 of saintliness and fairness was already well established while he was alive, and on many occasions he was chosen as an arbiter in the quarrels opposing the rulers of Europe.

The perception of Louis IX as the exemplary Christian prince was reinforced by his religious zeal. Louis was a devout Catholic, and he built the Sainte-Chapelle ("Holy Chapel"), located within the royal palace complex (now the Paris Hall of Justice), on the Île de la Cité in the centre of Paris. The Sainte Chapelle, a perfect example of the Rayonnant style of Gothic architecture, was erected as a shrine for the Crown of Thorns and a fragment of the True Cross, precious relics of the Passion of Jesus. Louis purchased these in 1239–41 from Emperor Baldwin II of the Latin Empire of Constantinople, for the exorbitant sum of 135,000 livres (the chapel, on the other hand, cost only 60,000 livres to build). This purchase should be understood in the context of the extreme religious fervor that existed in Europe in the 13th century. The purchase contributed greatly to reinforcing the central position of the king of France in western Christendom, as well as to increasing the renown of Paris, then the largest city of western Europe. During a time when cities and rulers vied for relics, trying to increase their reputation and fame, Louis IX had succeeded in securing the most prized of all relics in his capital. The purchase was thus not only an act of devotion, but also a political gesture: the French monarchy was trying to establish the kingdom of France as the "new Jerusalem."

Louis IX took very seriously his mission as "lieutenant of God on Earth," with which he had been invested when he was crowned in Rheims. Thus, in order to fulfill his duty, he conducted two crusades, and even though they were unsuccessful, they contributed to his prestige. Contemporaries would not have understood if the king of France did not lead a crusade to the Holy Land. In order to finance his first crusade Louis ordered the expulsion of all Jews engaged in usury and the confiscation of their property, for use in his crusade. However, he did not cancel the debts owed by Christians. One-third of the debts was forgiven, but the other two-thirds was to be remitted to the royal treasury. Louis also ordered, at the urging of Pope Gregory IX, the burning in Paris in 1243 of some 12,000 manuscript copies of the Talmud and other Jewish books. Such legislation against the Talmud, not uncommon in the history of Christendom, was due to medieval courts' concerns that its production and circulation might weaken the faith of Christian individuals and threaten the Christian basis of society, the protection of which was the duty of any Christian monarch.

In addition to Louis's legislation against Jews and usury, he expanded the scope of the Inquisition in France. The area most affected by this expansion was southern France where the Cathar heresy had been strongest. The rate of these confiscations reached its highest levels in the years prior to his first crusade, and slowed upon his return to France in 1254.

In all these deeds, Louis IX tried to fulfill the duty of France, which was seen 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 the Pope in Rome in 800. Indeed, the official Latin title of the kings of France was Rex Francorum, i.e. "king of the Franks," and the kings of France were also known by the title "most Christian king" (Rex Christianissimus). The relationship between France and the papacy was at its peak in the 12th and 13th centuries, and most of the crusades were actually called by the popes from French soil. Eventually, in 1309, Pope Clement V even left Rome and relocated to the French city of Avignon, beginning the era known as the Avignon Papacy (or, more disparagingly, the "Babylonian captivity").

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Casamento: na Catedral de Sens.

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"Louis IX" redirects here. For other uses, see Louis IX (disambiguation).

Saint Louis IX

King of France (more...)

Representation of Saint Louis considered to be true to life - Early 14th century statue from the church of Mainneville, Eure, France

Reign 8 November 1226 – 25 August 1270

Coronation 29 November 1226, Reims

Full name Known as Saint Louis

Titles Count of Artois (1226–37)

Born 25 April 1214(1214-04-25)

Birthplace Poissy, France

Died 25 August 1270 (aged 56)

Place of death Tunis, North Africa

Buried Saint Denis Basilica

Predecessor Louis VIII

Successor Philip III

Consort Marguerite of Provence (1221–95)

Offspring Isabelle, Queen of Navarre (1241–71)

Philip III (1245-85)

Jean Tristan, Count of Valois (1250–70)

Pierre, Count of Perche and Alençon (1251–84)

Blanche, Crown Princess of Castille (1253–1323)

Marguerite, Duchess of Brabant (1254–71)

Robert, Count of Clermont (1256–1317)

Agnes, Duchess of Burgundy (1260–1327)

Royal House House of Capet

Father Louis VIII of France

Mother Blanche of Castile

French Monarchy

Direct Capetians

Louis IX

Philip III

Robert, Count of Clermont

Agnes, Duchess of Burgundy

Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 to his death. He was also Count of Artois (as Louis II) from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was a member of the House of Capet and the son of King Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile. He is the only canonized King of France and consequently there are many places named after him, most notably St. Louis, Missouri in the United States. He established the Parlement of Paris.

Contents [hide]

1 Sources

2 Early life

3 Crusading

4 Patron of arts and arbiter of Europe

5 Religious zeal

6 Antecedents: Lineage

7 Children

8 Death and legacy

9 Veneration as a saint

10 Places named after Saint Louis

11 Famous portraits

12 External links

13 Bibliography

14 References

[edit] Sources

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

Coin of Saint Louis, Cabinet des Médailles. – The Latin inscription reads LVDOVICVS (i.e. "Louis") DEI GRACIA (i.e. "by the Grace of God", where Latin gratia was spelt gracia) FRANCOR REX (i.e. "King of the Franks", where Francor. is the abbrevation of Francorum).Two other important biographies were written by the king's confessor, Geoffrey of Beaulieu, and his chaplain, William of Chartres. The fourth important source of information is William of Saint-Pathus' biography, which he wrote using the papal inquest mentioned above. 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.

[edit] Early life

Louis was born in 1214 at Poissy, near Paris, the son of King Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile. A member of the House of Capet, Louis was twelve years old when his father died on November 8, 1226. He was crowned king the same year in the cathedral at Reims. Because of Louis's youth, his mother ruled France as regent during his minority.

His younger brother Charles I of Sicily (1227–85) was created count of Anjou, thus founding the second Angevin dynasty. The horrific fate of that dynasty in Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers evidently did not tarnish Louis's credentials for sainthood.

No date is given for the beginning of Louis's personal rule. His contemporaries viewed his reign as co-rule between the king and his mother, though historians generally view the year 1234 as the year in which Louis began ruling personally, with his mother assuming a more advisory role. She continued as an important counselor to the king until her death in 1252.

On May 27, 1234 Louis married Marguerite of Provence (1221 – December 21, 1295), whose sister Eleanor was the wife of Henry III of England.

[edit] Crusading

At the age of 15, Louis brought an end to the Albigensian Crusade in 1229 after signing an agreement with Count Raymond VII of Toulouse that cleared his father of wrong-doing. Raymond VI of Toulouse had been suspected of murdering a preacher on a mission to convert the Cathars.

Louis's piety and kindness towards the poor was much celebrated. He went on two crusades, in his mid-30s in 1248 (Seventh Crusade) and then again in his mid-50s in 1270 (Eighth Crusade). Both were complete disasters; after initial success in his first attempt, Louis's army of 15,000 men was met by overwhelming resistance from the Egyptian army and peoplecite.

He had begun with the rapid capture of the port of Damietta in June 1249,[1] an attack which did cause some disruption in the Muslim Ayyubid empire, especially as the current sultan was on his deathbed. But the march from Damietta towards Cairo through the Nile River Delta went slowly. During this time, the Ayyubid sultan died, and a sudden power shift took place, as the sultan's slave wife Shajar al-Durr set events in motion which were to make her Queen, and eventually place the Egyptians' slave army of the Mamluks in power. On April 6, 1250 Louis lost his army at the Battle of Fariskur[2] and was captured by the Egyptians. His release was eventually negotiated, in return for a ransom of 400,000 livres tournois (at the time France's annual revenue was only about 250,000 livres tournois, so it was necessary to obtain a loan from the Templars), and the surrender of the city of Damietta.[3]

Following his release from Egyptian captivity, Louis spent four years in the crusader Kingdoms of Acre, Caesarea, and Jaffe. Louis used his wealth to assist the crusaders in rebuilding their defenses and conducting diplomacy with the Islamic powers of Syria and Egypt. Upon his departure from the Middle East, Louis left a significant garrison in the city of Acre for its defense against Islamic attacks. The historic presence of this French garrison in the Middle East was later used as a justification for the French Mandate following the end of the First World War.

Louis exchanged multiple letters and emissaries with Mongol rulers of the period. During his first crusade in 1248, Louis was approached by envoys from Eljigidei, the Mongol ruler of Armenia and Persia.[4] Eljigidei suggested that King Louis should land in Egypt, while Eljigidei attacked Baghdad, in order to prevent the Saracens of Egypt and those of Syria from joining forces. Louis sent André de Longjumeau, a Dominican priest, as an emissary to the Great Khan Güyük Khan in Mongolia. However, Güyük died before the emissary arrived at his court, and nothing concrete occurred. Louis dispatched another envoy to the Mongol court, the Franciscan William of Rubruck, who went to visit the Great Khan Möngke Khan in Mongolia.

[edit] Patron of arts and arbiter of Europe

Wooden statue of Saint Louis (perhaps a copy of the statue at the church of Mainneville?)Louis' patronage of the arts drove much innovation in Gothic art and architecture, and the style of his court radiated throughout Europe by both the purchase of art objects from Parisian masters for export and by the marriage of the king's daughters and female relatives to foreign husbands and their subsequent introduction of Parisian models elsewhere. Louis' personal chapel, the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, was copied more than once by his descendants elsewhere. Louis most likely ordered the production of the Morgan Bible, a masterpiece of medieval painting.

Saint Louis ruled during the so-called "golden century of Saint Louis", when the kingdom of France was at its height in Europe, both politically and economically. The king of France was regarded as a primus inter pares among the kings and rulers of the continent. He commanded the largest army, and ruled the largest and most wealthy kingdom of Europe, a kingdom which was the European center of arts and intellectual thought (La Sorbonne) at the time. The prestige and respect felt in Europe for King Louis IX was due more to the attraction that his benevolent personality created rather 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 of saintliness and fairness was already well established while he was alive, and on many occasions he was chosen as an arbiter in the quarrels opposing the rulers of Europe.

[edit] Religious zeal

The Holy Crown of Jesus Christ was bought by Louis IX from Baldwin II of Constantinople. It is preserved today in a 19th century reliquary, in Notre Dame de Paris.The perception of Louis IX as the exemplary Christian prince was reinforced by his religious zeal. Louis was a devout Catholic, and he built the Sainte-Chapelle ("Holy Chapel"), located within the royal palace complex (now the Paris Hall of Justice), on the Île de la Cité in the centre of Paris. The Sainte Chapelle, a perfect example of the Rayonnant style of Gothic architecture, was erected as a shrine for the Crown of Thorns and a fragment of the True Cross, precious relics of the Passion of Jesus. Louis purchased these in 1239–41 from Emperor Baldwin II of the Latin Empire of Constantinople, for the exorbitant sum of 135,000 livres (the chapel, on the other hand, cost only 60,000 livres to build). This purchase should be understood in the context of the extreme religious fervor that existed in Europe in the 13th century. The purchase contributed greatly to reinforcing the central position of the king of France in western Christendom, as well as to increasing the renown of Paris, then the largest city of western Europe. During a time when cities and rulers vied for relics, trying to increase their reputation and fame, Louis IX had succeeded in securing the most prized of all relics in his capital. The purchase was thus not only an act of devotion, but also a political gesture: the French monarchy was trying to establish the kingdom of France as the "new Jerusalem."

Louis IX took very seriously his mission as "lieutenant of God on Earth," with which he had been invested when he was crowned in Rheims. Thus, in order to fulfill his duty, he conducted two crusades, and even though they were unsuccessful, they contributed to his prestige. Contemporaries would not have understood if the king of France did not lead a crusade to the Holy Land. In order to finance his first crusade Louis ordered the expulsion of all Jews engaged in usury. This action enabled Louis to confiscate the property of expelled Jews for use in his crusade. However, he did not eliminate the debts incurred by Christians. One-third of the debt was forgiven, but the other two-thirds was to be remitted to the royal treasury. Louis also ordered, at the urging of Pope Gregory IX, the burning of some 12,000 copies of the Talmud in Paris in 1243. Such legislation against the Talmud, not uncommon in the history of Christendom, was due to medieval courts' concerns that its production and circulation might weaken the faith of Christian individuals and threaten the Christian basis of society, the protection of which was the duty of any Christian monarch.[5]

Tunique and cilice of Louis IX. Treasure of Notre-Dame de Paris.In addition to Louis's legislation against Jews and usury, he expanded the scope of the Inquisition in France. The area most affected by this expansion was southern France where the Cathar heresy had been strongest. The rate of these confiscations reached its highest levels in the years prior to his first crusade, and slowed upon his return to France in 1254.

In all these deeds, Louis IX tried to fulfill the duty of France, which was seen 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 the Pope in Rome in 800. Indeed, the official Latin title of the kings of France was Rex Francorum, i.e. "king of the Franks," and the kings of France were also known by the title "most Christian king" (Rex Christianissimus). The relationship between France and the papacy was at its peak in the 12th and 13th centuries, and most of the crusades were actually called by the popes from French soil. Eventually, in 1309, Pope Clement V even left Rome and relocated to the French city of Avignon, beginning the era known as the Avignon Papacy (or, more disparagingly, the "Babylonian captivity").

[edit] Antecedents: Lineage

16. Louis VI of France

8. Louis VII of France

17. Adelaide of Maurienne

4. Philip II of France

18. Theobald II, Count of Champagne

9. Adèle of Champagne

19. Matilda of Carinthia

2. Louis VIII of France

20. Baldwin IV, Count of Hainaut

10. Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut

21. Alice of Namur

5. Isabelle of Hainaut

22. Thierry, Count of Flanders

11. Margaret I, Countess of Flanders

23. Sibylla of Anjou

1. Louis IX of France

24. Alfonso VII of León

12. Sancho III of Castile

25. Berenguela of Barcelona

6. Alfonso VIII of Castile

26. García VI of Navarre

13. Blanca of Navarre

27. Marguerite de l'Aigle

3. Blanche of Castile

28. Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou

14. Henry II of England

29. Matilda of England

7. Leonora of England

30. William X, Duke of Aquitaine

15. Eleanor of Aquitaine

31. Aenor de Châtellerault

[edit] Children

Blanche (1240 – April 29, 1243)

Isabelle (March 2, 1241 – January 28, 1271), married Theobald V of Champagne

Louis (February 25, 1244 – January 1260)

Philippe III (May 1, 1245 – October 5, 1285)

Jean (1248 - 1248)

Jean Tristan (1250 – August 3, 1270), married Yolande of Burgundy

Pierre (1251–84), Count of Perche and Alençon; Count of Blois and Chartres in right of his wife, Joanne of Châtillon

Blanche (1253–1323), married Ferdinand de la Cerda, Infante of Castille

Marguerite (1254–71), married John I, Duke of Brabant

Robert, Count of Clermont (1256 – February 7, 1317). He was the ancestor of King Henry IV of France.

Agnes of France (ca 1260 – December 19, 1327), married Robert II, Duke of Burgundy

[edit] Death and legacy

Saint Louis

Louis IX of France was revered as a saint and painted in portraiture well after his death (such portraits may not accurately reflect his appearance). This portrait was painted by El Greco ca 1592–95.

King of France, Confessor

Born 25 April 1214(1214-04-25), Poissy, France

Died 25 August 1270 (aged 56), Tunis in what is now Tunisia

Venerated in Roman Catholic Church

Canonized 1297 by Pope Boniface VIII

Feast 25 August

Attributes Depicted as King of France, generally with a crown, holding a sceptre with a fleur-de-lys on the end, possibly with blue clothing with a spread of white fleur-de-lys (coat of arms of the French monarchy)

Patronage France, French monarchy; hairdressers; passementiers (lacemakers)

Saints Portal

Reliquary of Saint Louis (end 13th c.) Basilica of Saint Dominic, Bologna, ItalyDuring his second crusade, Louis died at Tunis, August 25, 1270, and was succeeded by his son, Philip III. Louis was traditionally believed to have died from bubonic plague but is thought by modern scholars to be dysentery. The Bubonic Plague didn't hit Europe until 1348, so the likelihood of him contracting and ultimately dying from the Bubonic Plague was very slim.

Christian tradition states that some of his entrails were buried directly on the spot in Tunisia, where a Tomb of Saint-Louis can still be visited today, whereas other parts of his entrails were sealed in an urn and placed in the Basilica of Monreale, Palermo, where they still remain. His corpse was taken, after a short stay at the Basilica of Saint Dominic in Bologna, to the French royal necropolis at Saint-Denis, resting in Lyon on the way. His tomb at Saint-Denis was a magnificent gilt brass monument designed in the late 14th century. It was melted down during the French Wars of Religion, at which time the body of the king disappeared. Only one finger was rescued and is kept at Saint-Denis.

[edit] Veneration as a saint

Pope Boniface VIII proclaimed the canonization of Louis in 1297; he is one of the few royals in French history to have been declared a saint.

Louis IX is often considered the model of the ideal Christian monarch. Because of the aura of holiness attached to his memory, many Kings of France were called Louis, especially in the Bourbon dynasty, who directly descended from one of his younger sons.

The Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Louis is a Roman Catholic religious order founded in 1842 and named in his honour.

[edit] Places named after Saint Louis

The cities of San Luis Potosí in Mexico, Saint Louis, Missouri, Saint-Louis du Sénégal in Senegal, Saint-Louis in Alsace, as well as Lake Saint-Louis in Quebec, and the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in California are among the many places named after the king.

The Cathedral Saint-Louis in Versailles, Basilica of St. Louis, King of France in St. Louis, Missouri, the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri, and the French royal Order of Saint Louis (1693–1790 and 1814–30) were also created after the king. The Saint Louis Cathedral in New Orleans is named after him.

Many places in Brazil called São Luís in Portuguese are named after Saint Louis.

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Louis IX (25 April 1215 – 25 August 1270), commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 to his death. He was also Count of Artois (as Louis II) from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was a member of the House of Capet and the son of King Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile. He is the only canonised king of France and consequently there are many places named after him.

Louis was eleven years old when his father died on November 8, 1226. He was crowned king the same year in the cathedral at Reims.

Because of Louis's youth, his mother, Blanche of Castile, ruled France as regent during his minority. No date is given for Louis's assumption of the throne as king in his own right. His contemporaries viewed his reign as co-rule between the king and his mother, though historians generally view the year 1234 as the year in which Louis ruled as king with his mother assuming a more advisory role. She continued as an important counsellor to the king until her death in 1252. On May 27, 1234 Louis married Marguerite de Provence (1221 – December 21, 1295), the sister of Eleanor, the wife of Henry III of England.

Louis was the elder brother of Charles I of Sicily (1227–85), whom he created count of Anjou, thus founding the second Angevin dynasty. The horrific fate of that dynasty in Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers evidently did not tarnish Louis's credentials for sainthood.

Louis brought an end to the Albigensian Crusade in 1229 after signing an agreement with Count Raymond VII of Toulouse that cleared his father of wrong-doing. Raymond VI had been suspected of murdering a preacher on a mission to convert the Cathars.

Louis's piety and kindness towards the poor was much celebrated. He went on crusade twice, in 1248 (Seventh Crusade) and then in 1270 (Eighth Crusade). Both crusades were complete disasters; after initial success in his first attempt, Louis's army was met by overwhelming resistance from the Egyptian army and people. Eventually, on April 13, 1250, Louis was defeated and taken prisoner in Mansoura, Egypt. Louis and his companions were then released in return for the surrender of the French army and a large ransom.

Following his release from Egyptian captivity, Louis spent four years in the crusader Kingdoms of Acre, Caesarea, and Jaffe. Louis used his wealth to assist the crusaders in rebuilding their defenses and conducting diplomacy with the Islamic powers of Syria and Egypt. Upon his departure from Middle East Louis left a significant garrison in the city of Acre for its defense against Islamic attacks. The historic presence of this French garrison in the Middle East was later used as a justification for the French Mandate following the end of the First World War

Children

Blanche (1240 – April 29, 1243)

Isabelle (March 2, 1241 – January 28, 1271), married Theobald V of Champagne

Louis (February 25, 1244 – January 1260)

Philippe III (May 1, 1245 – October 5, 1285)

Jean (born and died in 1248)

Jean Tristan (1250 – August 3, 1270), married Yolande of Burgundy

Pierre (1251–84), Count of Perche and Alençon; Count of Blois and Chartres in right of his wife, Joanne of Châtillon

Blanche (1253–1323), married Ferdinand de la Cerda, Infante of Castille

Marguerite (1254–71), married John I, Duke of Brabant

Robert, Count of Clermont (1256 – February 7, 1317). He was the ancestor of King Henry IV of France.

Agnes of France (ca 1260 – December 19, 1327), married Robert II, Duke of Burgundy

[edit] Death and legacy

During his second crusade, Louis died at Tunis, August 25, 1270, from what was traditionally believed to be bubonic plague but is thought by modern scholars to be dysentery. The local tradition of Sidi Bou Said claims that the future Saint Louis did not die in 1270, but converted to Islam under the name of Sidi Bou Said, died at the end of the 13th century, and was buried as a saint of Islam in Djebel-Marsa.

Christian tradition states that some of his entrails were buried directly on the spot in Tunisia, where a Tomb of Saint-Louis can still be visited today, whereas other parts of his entrails were sealed in an urn and placed in the Basilica of Monreale, Palermo, where they still remain. His corpse was taken, after a short stay at the Basilica of Saint Dominic in Bologna, to the French royal necropolis at Saint-Denis, resting in Lyon on the way. His tomb at Saint-Denis was a magnificent gilt brass monument designed in the late 14th century. It was melted down during the French Wars of Religion, at which time the body of the king disappeared. Only one finger was rescued and is kept at Saint-Denis.

French Monarchy

Direct Capetians

Louis IX

Philip III

Robert, Count of Clermont

Agnes, Duchess of Burgundy

Pope Boniface VIII proclaimed the canonization of Louis in 1297; he is the only French monarch ever to be made a saint.

Louis IX was succeeded by his son, Philippe III.

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Louis IX (25 April 1215 – 25 August 1270), commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 to his death. He was also Count of Artois (as Louis II) from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was a member of the House of Capet and the son of King Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile. He is the only canonised king of France and consequently there are many places named after him.

Louis was eleven years old when his father died on November 8, 1226. He was crowned king the same year in the cathedral at Reims.

Because of Louis' youth, his mother, Blanche of Castile, ruled France as regent during his minority. No date is given for Louis' assumption of the throne as king in his own right. His contemporaries viewed his reign as co-rule between the king and his mother, though historians generally view the year 1234 as the year in which Louis ruled as king with his mother assuming a more advisory role. She continued as an important counsellor to the king until her death in 1252. On May 27, 1234 Louis married Marguerite de Provence (1221–December 21, 1295), the sister of Eleanor, the wife of Henry III of England.

Louis was the elder brother of Charles I of Sicily (1227–1285), whom he created count of Anjou, thus founding the second Angevin dynasty. The horrific fate of that dynasty in Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers evidently did not tarnish Louis' credentials for sainthood

Louis brought an end to the Albigensian Crusade in 1229 after signing an agreement with Count Raymond VII of Toulouse that cleared his father of wrong-doing. Raymond VI had been suspected of murdering a preacher on a mission to convert the Cathars.

Louis' piety and kindness towards the poor was much celebrated. He went on crusade twice, in 1248 (Seventh Crusade) and then in 1270 (Eighth Crusade). Both crusades were complete disasters; after initial success in his first attempt, Louis' army was met by overwhelming resistance from the Egyptian army and people. Eventually, on April 13 1250, Louis was defeated and taken prisoner in Mansoura, Egypt. Louis and his companions were then released in return for the surrender of the French army and a large ransom.

Following his release from Egyptian captivity, Louis spent four years in the crusader Kingdoms of Acre, Caesarea, and Jaffe. Louis used his wealth to assist the crusaders in rebuilding their defenses and conducting diplomacy with the Islamic powers of Syria and Egypt. Upon his departure from Middle East Louis left a significant garrison in the city of Acre for its defense against Islamic attacks. The historic presence of this French garrison in the Middle East was later used as a justification for the French Mandate following the end of the First World War.

Children

Blanche (1240–April 29, 1243)

Isabelle (March 2, 1241–January 28, 1271), married Theobald V of Champagne

Louis (February 25, 1244–January 1260)

Philippe III (May 1, 1245–October 5, 1285)

Jean (born and died in 1248)

Jean Tristan (1250–August 3, 1270), married Yolande of Burgundy

Pierre (1251–1284), Count of Perche and Alençon; Count of Blois and Chartres in right of his wife, Joanne of Châtillon

Blanche (1253–1323), married Ferdinand de la Cerda, Infante of Castille

Marguerite (1254–1271), married John I, Duke of Brabant

Robert, Count of Clermont (1256–February 7, 1317). He was the ancestor of King Henry IV of France.

Agnes of France (c. 1260–December 19, 1327), married Robert II, Duke of Burgundy

During his second crusade, Louis died at Tunis August 25, 1270 from what was traditionally believed to be plague but is thought by modern scholars to be dysentery. The local tradition of Sidi Bou Said claims that the future Saint Louis did not die in 1270, but converted to Islam under the name of Sidi Bou Said, died at the end of the 13th century, and was buried as a saint of Islam in Djebel-Marsa.

Christian tradition states that some of his entrails were buried directly on the spot in Tunisia, where a Tomb of Saint-Louis can still be visited today, whereas other parts of his entrails were sealed in an urn and placed in the Basilica of Monreale, Palermo, where they still remain. His corpse was taken, after a short stay at the Basilica of Saint Dominic in Bologna, to the French royal necropolis at Saint-Denis, resting in Lyon on the way. His tomb at Saint-Denis was a magnificent gilt brass monument designed in the late 14th century. It was melted down during the French Wars of Religion, at which time the body of the king disappeared. Only one finger was rescued and is kept at Saint-Denis.

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Canonized in 1297 by Pope Boniface VIII. He died in 1270 on the 8th Crusade in Tunis, Africa.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_IX_of_France

Saint Louis

--------------------

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_IX_of_France

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Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 to his death. He was also Count of Artois (as Louis II) from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was a member of the House of Capet and the son of King Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile. He is the only canonised king of France and consequently there are many places named after him, most notably St. Louis, Missouri in the United States. He established the Parlement of Paris.

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Louis IX of France

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 to his death. He was also Count of Artois (as Louis II) from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was a member of the House of Capet and the son of King Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile. He is the only canonised king of France and consequently there are many places named after him, most notably St. Louis, Missouri in the United States. He established the Parlement of Paris.

Sources

Much of what is known of Louis's life comes from Jean de Joinville's famous biography of Louis, Life of Saint Louis. Joinville was a close friend, confidant, and counsellor to the king, and also participated as a witness in the papal inquest into Louis' life that ended with 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. The fourth important source of information is William of Saint-Pathus' biography, which he wrote using the papal inquest mentioned above. 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.

[edit]Early life

Louis was born in 1214 at Poissy, near Paris, the son of King Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile. A member of the House of Capet, Louis was twelve years old when his father died on November 8, 1226. He was crowned king the same year in the cathedral at Reims. Because of Louis's youth, his mother ruled France as regent during his minority.

His younger brother Charles I of Sicily (1227–85) was created count of Anjou, thus founding the second Angevin dynasty. The horrific fate of that dynasty in Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers evidently did not tarnish Louis's credentials for sainthood.

No date is given for the beginning of Louis's personal rule. His contemporaries viewed his reign as co-rule between the king and his mother, though historians generally view the year 1234 as the year in which Louis began ruling personally, with his mother assuming a more advisory role. She continued as an important counselor to the king until her death in 1252.

On May 27, 1234 Louis married Marguerite of Provence (1221 – December 21, 1295), whose sister Eleanor was the wife of Henry III of England.

[edit]Crusading

At the age of 15, Louis brought an end to the Albigensian Crusade in 1229 after signing an agreement with Count Raymond VII of Toulouse that cleared his father of wrong-doing. Raymond VI of Toulouse had been suspected of murdering a preacher on a mission to convert the Cathars.

Louis's piety and kindness towards the poor was much celebrated. He went on two crusades, in his mid-30s in 1248 (Seventh Crusade) and then again in his mid-50s in 1270 (Eighth Crusade). Both were complete disasters; after initial success in his first attempt, Louis's army of 15,000 men was met by overwhelming resistance from the Egyptian army and peoplecite.

He had begun with the rapid capture of the port of Damietta in June 1249,[1] an attack which did cause some disruption in the Muslim Ayyubid empire, especially as the current sultan was on his deathbed. But the march from Damietta towards Cairo through the Nile River Delta went slowly. During this time, the Ayyubid sultan died, and a sudden power shift took place, as the sultan's slave wife Shajar al-Durr set events in motion which were to make her Queen, and eventually place the Egyptians' slave army of the Mamluks in power. On April 6, 1250 Louis lost his army at the Battle of Fariskur[2] and was captured by the Egyptians. His release was eventually negotiated, in return for a ransom of 400,000 livres tournois (at the time France's annual revenue was only about 250,000 livres tournois, so it was necessary to obtain a loan from the Templars), and the surrender of the city of Damietta.[3]

Following his release from Egyptian captivity, Louis spent four years in the crusader Kingdoms of Acre, Caesarea, and Jaffe. Louis used his wealth to assist the crusaders in rebuilding their defenses and conducting diplomacy with the Islamic powers of Syria and Egypt. Upon his departure from the Middle East, Louis left a significant garrison in the city of Acre for its defense against Islamic attacks. The historic presence of this French garrison in the Middle East was later used as a justification for the French Mandate following the end of the First World War.

[edit]Relations with the Mongols

Louis exchanged multiple letters and emissaries with Mongol rulers of the period. During his first crusade in 1248, Louis was approached by envoys from Eljigidei, the Mongol ruler of Armenia and Persia.[4] Eljigidei suggested that King Louis should land in Egypt, while Eljigidei attacked Baghdad, in order to prevent the Saracens of Egypt and those of Syria from joining forces. Louis sent André de Longjumeau, a Dominican priest, as an emissary to the Great Khan Güyük Khan in Mongolia. However, Güyük died before the emissary arrived at his court, and nothing concrete occurred. Louis dispatched another envoy to the Mongol court, the Franciscan William of Rubruck, who went to visit the Great Khan Möngke Khan in Mongolia.

Patron of arts and arbiter of Europe

Louis' patronage of the arts drove much innovation in Gothic art and architecture, and the style of his court radiated throughout Europe by both the purchase of art objects from Parisian masters for export and by the marriage of the king's daughters and female relatives to foreign husbands and their subsequent introduction of Parisian models elsewhere. Louis' personal chapel, the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, was copied more than once by his descendants elsewhere. Louis most likely ordered the production of the Morgan Bible, a masterpiece of medieval painting.

Saint Louis ruled during the so-called "golden century of Saint Louis", when the kingdom of France was at its height in Europe, both politically and economically. The king of France was regarded as a primus inter pares among the kings and rulers of the continent. He commanded the largest army, and ruled the largest and most wealthy kingdom of Europe, a kingdom which was the European center of arts and intellectual thought (La Sorbonne) at the time. The prestige and respect felt in Europe for King Louis IX was due more to the attraction that his benevolent personality created rather 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 of saintliness and fairness was already well established while he was alive, and on many occasions he was chosen as an arbiter in the quarrels opposing the rulers of Europe.

Religious zeal

The perception of Louis IX as the exemplary Christian prince was reinforced by his religious zeal. Louis was a devout Catholic, and he built the Sainte-Chapelle ("Holy Chapel"), located within the royal palace complex (now the Paris Hall of Justice), on the Île de la Cité in the centre of Paris. The Sainte Chapelle, a perfect example of the Rayonnant style of Gothic architecture, was erected as a shrine for the Crown of Thorns and a fragment of the True Cross, precious relics of the Passion of Jesus. Louis purchased these in 1239–41 from Emperor Baldwin II of the Latin Empire of Constantinople, for the exorbitant sum of 135,000 livres (the chapel, on the other hand, cost only 60,000 livres to build). This purchase should be understood in the context of the extreme religious fervor that existed in Europe in the 13th century. The purchase contributed greatly to reinforcing the central position of the king of France in western Christendom, as well as to increasing the renown of Paris, then the largest city of western Europe. During a time when cities and rulers vied for relics, trying to increase their reputation and fame, Louis IX had succeeded in securing the most prized of all relics in his capital. The purchase was thus not only an act of devotion, but also a political gesture: the French monarchy was trying to establish the kingdom of France as the "new Jerusalem."

Louis IX took very seriously his mission as "lieutenant of God on Earth," with which he had been invested when he was crowned in Rheims. Thus, in order to fulfill his duty, he conducted two crusades, and even though they were unsuccessful, they contributed to his prestige. Contemporaries would not have understood if the king of France did not lead a crusade to the Holy Land. In order to finance his first crusade Louis ordered the expulsion of all Jews engaged in usury. This action enabled Louis to confiscate the property of expelled Jews for use in his crusade. However, he did not eliminate the debts incurred by Christians. One-third of the debt was forgiven, but the other two-thirds was to be remitted to the royal treasury. Louis also ordered, at the urging of Pope Gregory IX, the burning of some 12,000 copies of the Talmud in Paris in 1243. Such legislation against the Talmud, not uncommon in the history of Christendom, was due to medieval courts' concerns that its production and circulation might weaken the faith of Christian individuals and threaten the Christian basis of society, the protection of which was the duty of any Christian monarch.[5]

In addition to Louis's legislation against Jews and usury, he expanded the scope of the Inquisition in France. The area most affected by this expansion was southern France where the Cathar heresy had been strongest. The rate of these confiscations reached its highest levels in the years prior to his first crusade, and slowed upon his return to France in 1254.

In all these deeds, Louis IX tried to fulfill the duty of France, which was seen 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 the Pope in Rome in 800. Indeed, the official Latin title of the kings of France was Rex Francorum, i.e. "king of the Franks," and the kings of France were also known by the title "most Christian king" (Rex Christianissimus). The relationship between France and the papacy was at its peak in the 12th and 13th centuries, and most of the crusades were actually called by the popes from French soil. Eventually, in 1309, Pope Clement V even left Rome and relocated to the French city of Avignon, beginning the era known as the Avignon Papacy (or, more disparagingly, the "Babylonian captivity").

Children

Blanche (1240 – April 29, 1243)

Isabelle (March 2, 1241 – January 28, 1271), married Theobald V of Champagne

Louis (February 25, 1244 – January 1260)

Philippe III (May 1, 1245 – October 5, 1285)

Jean (born and died in 1248)

Jean Tristan (1250 – August 3, 1270), married Yolande of Burgundy

Pierre (1251–84), Count of Perche and Alençon; Count of Blois and Chartres in right of his wife, Joanne of Châtillon

Blanche (1253–1323), married Ferdinand de la Cerda, Infante of Castille

Marguerite (1254–71), married John I, Duke of Brabant

Robert, Count of Clermont (1256 – February 7, 1317). He was the ancestor of King Henry IV of France.

Agnes of France (ca 1260 – December 19, 1327), married Robert II, Duke of Burgundy

During his second crusade, Louis died at Tunis, August 25, 1270, and was succeeded by his son, Philip III. Louis was traditionally believed to have died from bubonic plague but is thought by modern scholars to be dysentery. The Bubonic Plague didn't hit Europe until 1348, so the likelihood of him contracting and ultimately dying from the Bubonic Plague was very slim.

Christian tradition states that some of his entrails were buried directly on the spot in Tunisia, where a Tomb of Saint-Louis can still be visited today, whereas other parts of his entrails were sealed in an urn and placed in the Basilica of Monreale, Palermo, where they still remain. His corpse was taken, after a short stay at the Basilica of Saint Dominic in Bologna, to the French royal necropolis at Saint-Denis, resting in Lyon on the way. His tomb at Saint-Denis was a magnificent gilt brass monument designed in the late 14th century. It was melted down during the French Wars of Religion, at which time the body of the king disappeared. Only one finger was rescued and is kept at Saint-Denis.

[edit]Veneration as a saint

Pope Boniface VIII proclaimed the canonization of Louis in 1297; he is one of the few royals in French history to have been declared a saint.

Louis IX is often considered the model of the ideal Christian monarch. Because of the aura of holiness attached to his memory, many Kings of France were called Louis, especially in the Bourbon dynasty, who directly descended from one of his younger sons.

The Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Louis is a Roman Catholic religious order founded in 1842 and named in his honour.

[edit]Places named after Saint Louis

The cities of San Luis Potosí in Mexico, Saint Louis, Missouri, Saint-Louis du Sénégal in Senegal, Saint-Louis in Alsace, as well as Lake Saint-Louis in Quebec, and the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in California are among the many places named after the king.

The Cathedral Saint-Louis in Versailles, Basilica of St. Louis, King of France in St. Louis, Missouri, the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri, and the French royal Order of Saint Louis (1693–1790 and 1814–30) were also created after the king. The Saint Louis Cathedral in New Orleans is named after him.

Many places in Brazil called São Luís in Portuguese are named after Saint Louis.

[edit]Famous portraits

A portrait of St. Louis hangs in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives.

Saint Louis is also portrayed on a frieze depicting a timeline of important lawgivers throughout world history in the Courtroom at the Supreme Court of the United States.

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BIOGRAPHY: b. April 25, 1214, Poissy, Fr.

d. Aug. 25, 1270, near Tunis; canonized Aug. 11, 1297, feast day August 25

also called SAINT LOUIS, king of France from 1226 to 1270, the most popular of the Capetian monarchs. He led the Seventh Crusade to the Holy Land in 1248-50 and died on another crusade to Tunisia.

Early life.

Louis was the fourth child of King Louis VIII and his queen, Blanche of Castile, but, since the first three died at an early age, Louis, who was to have seven more brothers and sisters, became heir to the throne. He was raised with particular care by his parents, especially his mother.

Experienced horsemen taught him riding and the fine points of hunting. Tutors taught him biblical history, geography, and ancient literature. His mother instructed him in religion herself and educated him as a sincere, unbigoted Christian. Louis was a boisterous adolescent, occasionally seized by fits of temper, which he made efforts to control.

When his father succeeded Philip II Augustus in 1223, the long struggle between the Capetian dynasty and the Plantagenets of England (who still had vast holdings in France) was still not settled, but there was a temporary lull, since the English king, Henry III, was in no position to resume the war. In the south of France the Albigensian heretics, who were in revolt against both church and state, had not been brought under control. Finally, there was ferment and the threat of revolt among the great nobles, who had been kept in line by the firm hand of Philip Augustus.

Louis VIII managed to bring these external and internal conflicts to an end. In 1226 Louis VIII turned his attention to quelling the Albigensian revolt, but he unfortunately died at Montpensier on Nov. 8, 1226, on returning from a victorious expedition. Louis IX, who was not yet 13, became king under the regency of his redoubtable mother.

Copyright © 1994-2001 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

History: Louis IX, called St. Louis (1214-1270), king of France (1226-1270), son and successor of Louis VIII. Louis's mother, Blanche of Castile, daughter of Alfonso IX, king of Castile, was regent during his minority and again from 1248 until her death in 1252. During the latter years Louis was in the Holy Land on the Seventh Crusade (see Crusades: The Later Crusades). Louis and his forces were defeated and captured in Egypt in 1250, and the king remained in Palestine for four years before returning to France. In 1258 Louis signed the Treaty of Corbeil, relinquishing to the kingdom of Aragón all French claims to Barcelona and Roussillon, in return for which the Aragonese renounced their claims to parts of Provence and Languedoc. In 1259 he 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. In 1270 Louis embarked on another Crusade and died en route at Tunis in northern Africa. He was succeeded by his son Philip III. Louis, an outstanding monarch of medieval times, was canonized in 1297. His feast day is August 25.

Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2002. © 1993-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

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Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 to his death. He was also Count of Artois (as Louis II) from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was a member of the House of Capet and the son of King Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile. He is the only canonized King of France and consequently there are many places named after him, most notably St. Louis, Missouri in the United States. He established the Parlement of Paris.

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Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was a member of the House of Capet, the son of Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile. He established the Parliament of Paris.

He is the only canonized king of France; consequently, there are many places named after him, most notably, St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States. Saint Louis was also a tertiary of the Order of the Holy Trinity and Captives (known as the Trinitarians). On 11 June 1256, the General Chapter of the Trinitarian Order formally affiliated Louis IX at the famous monastery of Cerfroid, which had been constructed by Felix of Valois north of Paris.

Contents [hide]

1 Sources

2 Early life

3 Crusading

4 Patron of arts and arbiter of Europe

5 Religious zeal

6 Ancestry

7 Issue

8 Death and legacy

9 Veneration as a saint

10 Places named after Saint Louis

11 Famous portraits

12 References

13 Bibliography

14 External links

[edit] Sources

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

Coin of Saint Louis, Cabinet des Médailles. – The Latin inscription reads LVDOVICVS (i.e. "Louis") DEI GRACIA (i.e. "by the Grace of God", where Latin gratia was spelt gracia) FRANCOR REX (i.e. "King of the Franks", where Francor. is the abbrevation of Francorum).Two other important biographies were written by the king's confessor, Geoffrey of Beaulieu, and his chaplain, William of Chartres. The fourth important source of information is William of Saint-Pathus' biography, which he wrote using the papal inquest mentioned above. 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.

[edit] Early life

Louis was born in 1214 at Poissy, near Paris, the son of King Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile. A member of the House of Capet, Louis was twelve years old when his father died on November 8, 1226. He was crowned king within the month at the Reims cathedral. Because of Louis's youth, his mother ruled France as regent during his minority.

His younger brother Charles I of Sicily (1227–85) was created count of Anjou, thus founding the second Angevin dynasty.

No date is given for the beginning of Louis's personal rule. His contemporaries viewed his reign as co-rule between the king and his mother, though historians generally view the year 1234 as the year in which Louis began ruling personally, with his mother assuming a more advisory role. She continued as an important counselor to the king until her death in 1252.

On May 27, 1234, Louis married Marguerite of Provence (1221 – December 21, 1295), whose sister Eleanor was the wife of Henry III of England.

[edit] Crusading

When he was 15, Louis' mother brought an end to the Albigensian Crusade in 1229 after signing an agreement with Count Raymond VII of Toulouse that cleared his father of wrong-doing. Raymond VI of Toulouse had been suspected of murdering a preacher on a mission to convert the Cathars.

Louis's piety and kindness towards the poor was much celebrated. He went on two crusades, in his mid-30s in 1248 (Seventh Crusade) and then again in his mid-50s in 1270 (Eighth Crusade). Both were complete disasters; after initial success in his first attempt, Louis's army of 15,000 men was met by overwhelming resistance from the Egyptian army and peoplecite.

He had begun with the rapid capture of the port of Damietta in June 1249,[1] an attack which did cause some disruption in the Muslim Ayyubid empire, especially as the current sultan was on his deathbed. But the march from Damietta towards Cairo through the Nile River Delta went slowly. During this time, the Ayyubid sultan died, and a sudden power shift took place, as the sultan's slave wife Shajar al-Durr set events in motion which were to make her Queen, and eventually place the Egyptians' slave army of the Mamluks in power. On April 6, 1250 Louis lost his army at the Battle of Fariskur[2] and was captured by the Egyptians. His release was eventually negotiated, in return for a ransom of 400,000 livres tournois (at the time France's annual revenue was only about 250,000 livres tournois, so it was necessary to obtain a loan from the Templars), and the surrender of the city of Damietta.[3]

Following his release from Egyptian captivity, Louis spent four years in the crusader Kingdoms of Acre, Caesarea, and Jaffe. Louis used his wealth to assist the crusaders in rebuilding their defenses and conducting diplomacy with the Islamic powers of Syria and Egypt. Upon his departure from the Middle East, Louis left a significant garrison in the city of Acre for its defense against Islamic attacks. The historic presence of this French garrison in the Middle East was later used as a justification for the French Mandate following the end of the First World War.

Louis exchanged multiple letters and emissaries with Mongol rulers of the period. During his first crusade in 1248, Louis was approached by envoys from Eljigidei, the Mongol ruler of Armenia and Persia.[4] Eljigidei suggested that King Louis should land in Egypt, while Eljigidei attacked Baghdad, in order to prevent the Saracens of Egypt and those of Syria from joining forces. Louis sent André de Longjumeau, a Dominican priest, as an emissary to the Great Khan Güyük Khan in Mongolia. However, Güyük died before the emissary arrived at his court, and nothing concrete occurred. Louis dispatched another envoy to the Mongol court, the Franciscan William of Rubruck, who went to visit the Great Khan Möngke Khan in Mongolia.

[edit] Patron of arts and arbiter of Europe

Pope Innocent IV with Louis IX at ClunyLouis' patronage of the arts drove much innovation in Gothic art and architecture, and the style of his court radiated throughout Europe by both the purchase of art objects from Parisian masters for export and by the marriage of the king's daughters and female relatives to foreign husbands and their subsequent introduction of Parisian models elsewhere. Louis' personal chapel, the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, was copied more than once by his descendants elsewhere. Louis most likely ordered the production of the Morgan Bible, a masterpiece of medieval painting.

Saint Louis ruled during the so-called "golden century of Saint Louis", when the kingdom of France was at its height in Europe, both politically and economically. The king of France was regarded as a primus inter pares among the kings and rulers of the continent. He commanded the largest army, and ruled the largest and most wealthy kingdom of Europe, a kingdom which was the European center of arts and intellectual thought (La Sorbonne) at the time. The prestige and respect felt in Europe for King Louis IX was due more to the attraction that his benevolent personality created rather 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 of saintliness and fairness was already well established while he was alive, and on many occasions he was chosen as an arbiter in the quarrels opposing the rulers of Europe.

[edit] Religious zeal

The Holy Crown of Jesus Christ was bought by Louis IX from Baldwin II of Constantinople. It is preserved today in a 19th century reliquary, in Notre Dame de Paris.The perception of Louis IX as the exemplary Christian prince was reinforced by his religious zeal. Louis was a devout Catholic, and he built the Sainte-Chapelle ("Holy Chapel"), located within the royal palace complex (now the Paris Hall of Justice), on the Île de la Cité in the centre of Paris. The Sainte Chapelle, a perfect example of the Rayonnant style of Gothic architecture, was erected as a shrine for the Crown of Thorns and a fragment of the True Cross, precious relics of the Passion of Jesus. Louis purchased these in 1239–41 from Emperor Baldwin II of the Latin Empire of Constantinople, for the exorbitant sum of 135,000 livres (the chapel, on the other hand, cost only 60,000 livres to build). This purchase should be understood in the context of the extreme religious fervor that existed in Europe in the 13th century. The purchase contributed greatly to reinforcing the central position of the king of France in western Christendom, as well as to increasing the renown of Paris, then the largest city of western Europe. During a time when cities and rulers vied for relics, trying to increase their reputation and fame, Louis IX had succeeded in securing the most prized of all relics in his capital. The purchase was thus not only an act of devotion, but also a political gesture: the French monarchy was trying to establish the kingdom of France as the "new Jerusalem."

Louis IX took very seriously his mission as "lieutenant of God on Earth," with which he had been invested when he was crowned in Rheims. Thus, in order to fulfill his duty, he conducted two crusades, and even though they were unsuccessful, they contributed to his prestige. Contemporaries would not have understood if the king of France did not lead a crusade to the Holy Land. In order to finance his first crusade Louis ordered the expulsion of all Jews engaged in usury and the confiscation of their property, for use in his crusade. However, he did not cancel the debts owed by Christians. One-third of the debts was forgiven, but the other two-thirds was to be remitted to the royal treasury. Louis also ordered, at the urging of Pope Gregory IX, the burning in Paris in 1243 of some 12,000 manuscript copies of the Talmud and other Jewish books. Such legislation against the Talmud, not uncommon in the history of Christendom, was due to medieval courts' concerns that its production and circulation might weaken the faith of Christian individuals and threaten the Christian basis of society, the protection of which was the duty of any Christian monarch.[5]

Tunique and cilice of Louis IX. Treasury of Notre-Dame de Paris.In addition to Louis's legislation against Jews and usury, he expanded the scope of the Inquisition in France. The area most affected by this expansion was southern France where the Cathar heresy had been strongest. The rate of these confiscations reached its highest levels in the years prior to his first crusade, and slowed upon his return to France in 1254.

Louis IX allowing himself to be whipped as penance.In all these deeds, Louis IX tried to fulfill the duty of France, which was seen 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 the Pope in Rome in 800. Indeed, the official Latin title of the kings of France was Rex Francorum, i.e. "king of the Franks," and the kings of France were also known by the title "most Christian king" (Rex Christianissimus). The relationship between France and the papacy was at its peak in the 12th and 13th centuries, and most of the crusades were actually called by the popes from French soil. Eventually, in 1309, Pope Clement V even left Rome and relocated to the French city of Avignon, beginning the era known as the Avignon Papacy (or, more disparagingly, the "Babylonian captivity").

[edit] Ancestry

[show]v • d • eAncestors of Louis IX of France

16. Louis VI of France

8. Louis VII of France

17. Adelaide of Maurienne

4. Philip II of France

[Master.FTW]

[Master.FTW]

[Vinson.FTW]

[camoys.FTW]

[mpbennett-1-6210.ged]

King of France on Nov 8,1226, 1236 & 1270
the "Saint." Canonized in 1297.
Died while on a crusade against the Sultan of Tunis in 1270.
This individual was found on GenCircles at: http://www.gencircles.com/users/mpbennett/1/data/6617[mpbennett-1-6462.ged]

King of France on Nov 8,1226, 1236 & 1270
the "Saint." Canonized in 1297.
Died while on a crusade against the Sultan of Tunis in 1270.
This individual was found on GenCircles at: http://www.gencircles.com/users/mpbennett/1/data/6617[mpbennett-1-6617.ged]

King of France on Nov 8,1226, 1236 & 1270
the "Saint." Canonized in 1297.
Died while on a crusade against the Sultan of Tunis in 1270.
This individual was found on GenCircles at: http://www.gencircles.com/users/mpbennett/1/data/6617[mpbennett-1-6901.ged]

King of France on Nov 8,1226, 1236 & 1270
the "Saint." Canonized in 1297.
Died while on a crusade against the Sultan of Tunis in 1270.
This individual was found on GenCircles at: http://www.gencircles.com/users/mpbennett/1/data/6617[mpbennett-1-6996.ged]

King of France on Nov 8,1226, 1236 & 1270
the "Saint." Canonized in 1297.
Died while on a crusade against the Sultan of Tunis in 1270.
This individual was found on GenCircles at: http://www.gencircles.com/users/mpbennett/1/data/6617

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[FAVthomas.FTW]

canonized Aug. 11, 1297, feast day August 25

Also called Saint Louis king of France from 1226 to 1270, the mostpopular of the Capetian monarchs. He led the Seventh Crusade to the HolyLand in 1248/50 and died on another crusade to Tunisia.
Louis was the fourth child of King Louis VIII and his queen, Blanchede Castile, but, since the first three died at an early age, Louis, whowas to have seven more brothers and sisters, became heir to the throne.He was raised with particular care by his parents, especially his mother.
Experienced horsemen taught him riding and the fine points of hunting.Tutors taught him biblical history, geography, and ancient literature.His mother instructed him in religion herself and educated him as asincere, unbigoted Christian. Louis was a boisterous adolescent,occasionally seized by fits of temper, which he made efforts to control.
When his father succeeded Philip II Augustus in 1223, the longstruggle between the Capetian dynasty and the Plantagenets of England(who still had vast holdings in France) was still not settled, but therewas a temporary lull, since the English king, Henry III, was in noposition to resume the war. In the south of France the Albigensianheretics, who were in revolt against both church and state, had not beenbrought under control. Finally, there was ferment and the threat ofrevolt among the great nobles, who
had been kept in line by the firm hand of Philip Augustus.
Louis VIII managed to bring these external and internal conflicts toan end. In 1226 Louis VIII turned his attention to quelling theAlbigensian revolt, but he unfortunately died at Montpensier on Nov. 8,1226, on returning from a victorious expedition. Louis IX, who was notyet 13, became king under the regency his redoubtable mother.
The Queen Mother's first concern was to take Louis to Reims to becrowned. Many of the most powerful nobles refrained from participating inthe ceremony, but Blanche was not a woman to be discouraged by adversity.While continuing her son's education she vigorously attacked therebellious barons, particularly Hugh of Lusignan and Peter of Dreux(Pierre Mauclerc), duke de Brittany. Without support from King Henry IIIof England the baronial coalition collapsed, and the Treaty of Vendômegave Blanche a brief respite.
She took advantage of it to put an end to the Albigensian revolt.Louis's troops were sent into Languedoc, where they forced Raymond VII,count of Toulouse, to concede defeat. On April 11, 1229, the King imposedthe Treaty of Paris on Raymond, in accordance with the terms of whichRaymond's daughter was to marry the King's brother Alphonse, and, aftertheir deaths, all of Languedoc would revert to the royal domain. As apolitical debut it was a magnificent success. When the students at the
University of Paris revolted for a trivial reason, Louis, on his mother'sadvice, closed the university and ordered the students and professors todisperse, thereby strengthening the royal authority.
The problem of the Plantagenet holdings in France remained. Supportedby Peter of Dreux, Henry III landed in Brittany and attempted anexpedition in the west of France. Louis IX, though only 15, personallycommanded the troops. He ordered the château at Angers to be rebuilt andpushed toward Nantes, where Henry was based. There was not even a battle,for, after a futile ride to Bordeaux, Henry withdrew. Truces wererenewed, and Peter of Dreux submitted to Louis's authority.
When Blanche laid down the reins of government in 1234, the kingdomwas temporarily at peace. Louis IX could now think about marriage. He wasa splendid knight whose kindness and engaging manner made him popular.And he was a just king: although he exacted what was due him, he had nowish to wrong anyone, from the lowest peasant to the richest vassal. Heoften administered justice personally, either in the great hall of thePalais de la Cité, which he later endowed with a magnificent chapel, orin his Vincennes manor, where he assembled his subjects at the foot of anoak, a scene so called by his biographer Jean de Joinville, the seneschalof Champagne. He was also a pious king, the protector of the church andfriend of those in holy orders. In 1228 he founded the noted Abbey ofRoyaumont. Although respectful of the pope, he staunchly resistedunreasonable papal demands and protected his clergy.
Blanche had selected Margaret, daughter of Raymond Berenger IV, thecount of Provence, as Louis's wife. The marriage was celebrated at Sens,May 29, 1234, and Louis showed himself to be an eager and ardent husband,which made Blanche intensely jealous of her daughter-in-law. Louis andMargaret had 11 children.
After subduing Thibaut of Champagne, Louis IX had to set out again forAquitaine. This time the rebel was Hugh of Lusignan, who had married thewidowed mother of Henry III. Once again Henry descended on the Continent,this time at Royan, with a powerful force. The majority of the nobles inthe west of France united with him. An almost bloodless encounter at thebridge of Taillebourg in 1242 resulted in defeat for the English, andHenry returned to London. With each truce slightly more progress was madetoward gaining a peace that would put a permanent end to the HundredYears' War between France and England.
After his victory over the English, Louis IX fell seriously ill with aform of malaria at
Pontoise-lés-Noyon. It was then, in December 1244, that he decided totake up the cross and go to free the Holy Land, despite the lack ofenthusiasm among his barons and his entourage. The situation in the HolyLand was critical; Jerusalem had fallen into Muslim hands on Aug. 23,1244, and the armies of the Sultan of Egypt had seized Damascus. If aidfrom the West was not forthcoming, the Christian kingdom of the eastwould soon collapse. In Europe the times had never been more propitiousfor a crusade.
There was a respite in the great struggle between the Holy Roman Empireand the papacy; moreover, Louis IX's forceful attitude toward the HolyRoman emperor, Frederick II, had dampened the latter's enthusiasm forwar. The kingdom of France was at peace, and the barons agreed toaccompany their sovereign in the Seventh Crusade.
The preparations were long and complex. After entrusting the regencyto his mother, Louis IX finally embarked from Aigues-Mortes on Aug. 25,1248. He took his wife and children with him, since he preferred not toleave the mother and daughter-in-law alone together. His fleet comprisedabout 100 ships carrying 35,000 men. Louis's objective was simple: heintended to land in Egypt, seize the principal towns of the country, anduse them as hostages to be exchanged for Syrian cities.
The beginning was promising. After wintering in Cyprus, the expeditionlanded near Damietta, Egypt, in June 1249. The King was one of the firstto leap onto land, where he planted the oriflamme of St. Denis on Muslimterritory. The town and port of Damietta were strongly fortified, but onJune 6 Louis IX was able to enter the city. He then pushed on towardCairo, but the rain-swollen waters of the Nile and its canals stopped himfor several months. It was necessary to capture the citadel of al-Mansurah. After
several attempts, a pontoon bridge was finally built, and the battle tookplace on Feb. 8, 1250. The outcome of the struggle was for a long timeundecided, and the King's brother Robert of Artois was killed. Louisfinally gained control of the situation through his energy andself-possession.
But the army was exhausted. The Nile carried thousands of corpses awayfrom al-Mans urah, and plague struck the survivors. The King had to issueorders for the agonizing retreat toward Damietta. Louis IX, stricken inturn, dragged himself along in the rear guard of his disintegratingforce. The Egyptians harassed the fleeing army and finally captured it onApril 7, 1250.
After long negotiations, the King and his principal barons were freedfor a high ransom, and Louis rejoined his wife at Acre. The crusaderswould have preferred to return to France, but the King decided instead toremain. In four years he was to transform a military defeat into adiplomatic success, conclude advantageous alliances, and fortify theChristian cities of Syria. He returned to his kingdom only upon learningof his mother's death.
The saintly Louis enjoyed immense prestige throughout westernChristendom. He took
advantage of this to open negotiations for a lasting peace with theEnglish king, Henry III, who had become his brother-in-law. Thediscussions extended over several years, but the treaty was finallysigned in Paris on May 28, 1258. The terms of the treaty were generouswith regard to the Plantagenets. Although Louis could have stripped HenryIII of all his continental holdings, he left him Aquitaine and someneighbouring territories. In return, the King of England acknowledgedhimself to be Louis's vassal. In Louis's eyes this was the most importantpoint, for in the 13th century the power of a sovereign was measured lessby the extent of his possessions than by the number and importance of hisvassals. A just and equitable ruler, Louis also wanted to create goodwillbetween his children and those of the Plantagenets. The King's reputationfor impartiality was so great that he was often called upon to arbitratedisputes outside France, as he once did in a violent dispute betweenHenry III and his barons.
He took advantage of his authority to reorganize the administration ofhis kingdom. Some of his officials, profiting by his absence, had abusedtheir power. Louis IX appointed royal investigators charged withcorrecting abuses on sight and with hearing complaints. Two well-knownordinances, in 1254 and 1256, carefully outlined the duties andresponsibilities of officials in the royal domain, and Louis closelysupervised their activities. Royal officials were forbidden to frequenttaverns or to gamble, and business activities such as the purchase ofland or the marriage of their daughters could be carried out only withthe King's consent. Further ordinances forbade prostitution, judicialduels, and ordeal by battle. The King imposed strict penalties oncounterfeiting, stabilized the currency, and compelled the circulation ofroyal coinage. In general, his measures strengthened royal justice andadministration and provided a firm base for French commercial growth.
Louis should not, however, be portrayed as a stained-glass figure.Like all men he had faults. He was quick-tempered and sometimes violent,and he had to struggle against his gluttony. He made his decisions alonebut knew how to choose wise counsellors, and his sincere piety did notprevent him from curbing the abuses of the clergy, sometimes brutally.
The King devoted attention to the arts and to literature. He directedthe construction of several buildings in Paris, Vincennes, Saint-Germain,and Corbeil (to house relics of the True Cross). He encouraged Vincent ofBeauvais, his chaplain, to write the first great encyclopaedia, Speculummajus. During his reign foreign students and scholars flocked to theUniversity of Paris.
The King was very high spirited. Nothing would be more inaccurate thanto imagine him
entirely steeped in piety. After meals he gladly descended into hisgardens, surrounded by his intimates, and discussed diverse topics withthem. There, each one indulged in quodlibet, or in talking about anythingthat pleased him.
But throughout the latter part of his reign he was obsessed by thememory of the Holy Land, the territory of which was rapidly shrinkingbefore the Muslim advance. In 1269 he decided once again to go to Africa.Perhaps encouraged by his brother Charles of Anjou, he chose Tunisia asthe place from which to cut the Islamic world in half. It was a seriousmistake for which he must take responsibility, and he eventually had tobear the consequences of it. Ill and weak, he knew that he risked dyingthere.
The expedition landed near Tunis at the beginning of July 1270 and atfirst won a succession of easy victories. Carthage was taken. But onceagain plague struck the army, and Louis IX could not withstand it. Afterhaving entrusted the future of the kingdom of France to his son Philip,to whom he gave excellent instructions (enseignements), asking himespecially to protect and assist the poor, who were the humblest of hissubjects, he died in August 1270.
The crusade dissolved, and Louis's body was brought back to France.All along the way, through Italy, the Alps, Lyon, and Cluny, crowdsgathered and knelt as the procession passed. It reached Paris on the eveof Pentecost in 1271. The funeral rites were solemnly performed atNotre-Dame de Paris, and the coffin went to rest in the abbey ofSaint-Denis, the tomb of the kings of France.
Without awaiting the judgment of the Roman Catholic Church, the peopleconsidered Louis IX to be a saint and prayed at his tomb. Pope BonifaceVIII canonized Louis IX, the only king of France to be numbered by theRoman Catholic Church among its saints, in 1297.

To cite this page: "Louis IX" Encyclopædia Britannica
<http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?query=louis+ix&eu=50230>

ÀÞÊþDICONOM

Louis IX or Saint Louis (April 25, 1215 – August 25, 1270) was King of France from 1226 until his death. Born at Poissy, France, he was a member of the Capetian dynasty and the son of King Louis VIIIand Blanche of Castile.

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

Louis was eleven years old when his father died in 1226. He was crowned king the same year in the cathedral at Reims.

Because of Louis' youth, his mother, Blanche of Castile, ruled France as regent until 1234, when Louis was deemed of age to rule himself. She continued as an important counsellor to the king until her death in 1252.

On May 27, 1234 Louis married Marguerite de Provence (1221–December 21, 1295), the sister of Eleanor, the wife of Henry III of England.

Louis was the elder brother of Charles I of Sicily (1227–1285), whom he created count of Anjou, thus founding the second Angevin dynasty.

Louis brought an end to the Albigensian Crusade in 1229 after signing an agreement with Count Raymond VII of Toulouse that cleared his father of wrong-doing. Raymond VI had been suspected of murdering a preacher on a mission to convert the Cathars.

Louis' piety and kindness towards the poor were much celebrated. He went on crusade twice, in 1248 (Seventh Crusade) and then in 1270 (Eighth Crusade). Both crusades were total failures. After initial success in his first attempt, Louis's army was met by overwhelming resistance from the Egyptian army and citizens. In 1249, Louis was eventually defeated and taken prisoner in Mansoura, Egypt. Louisand his companions were then released in return for the surrender of the French army and a large ransom. He died near Tunis during the latter expedition on August 25, 1270 traditionally believed to beduring an outbreak of plague but thought by modern scholars to be dysentery.

Some of his entrails were buried directly on the spot in Tunisia, where a Tomb of Saint-Louis can still be visit today, whereas other parts of his entrails were sealed in an urn and placed in the Basilica of Monreale, Palermo, where they still remain. His corpse was taken, via a short stay at the Basilica of Saint Dominic in Bologna, to the French royal necropolis at Saint-Denis, resting in Lyon on the way. His tomb at Saint-Denis was a magnificent gilt brass monument designed in the late 14th century. It was melted down during the French Wars of Religion, at which time the body of the king disappeared. Only one finger was rescued and is kept at Saint-Denis.

Pope Boniface VIII proclaimed the canonization of Louis in 1297; he is the only French monarch ever to be made a saint.

Louis IX was succeeded by his son, Philippe III.

Louis' patronage of the arts drove much innovation in Gothic art and architecture, and the style of his court radiated throughout Europe by both the purchase of art objects from Parisian masters for export and by the marriage of the king's many daughters to foreign husbands and their subsequent introduction of Parisian models elsewhere. Louis' personal chapel, the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, was copied more than once by his descendants elsewhere. Louis most likely ordered the production of the Morgan Bible, a masterpiece of medieval painting.

Saint Louis ruled during the so-called "golden century of Saint Louis", when the kingdom of France was at its height in Europe, both politically and economically. The king of France was regarded as aprimus inter pares among the kings and rulers of Europe. He commanded the largest army, and ruled the largest and most wealthy kingdom of Europe, a kingdom which was the European center of arts and intellectual thought (La Sorbonne) at the time. For many, King Louis IX embodied the whole of Christendom in his person. His reputation of saintliness and fairness was already well established while hewas alive, and on many occasions he was chosen as an arbiter in the quarrels opposing the rulers of Europe.

The prestige and respect felt in Europe for King Louis IX was due more to the attraction that his benevolent personality created rather than to military domination. For his contemporaries, he was thequintessential example of the Christian prince.

This perception of Louis IX as the quintessential Christian prince was reinforced by his religious zeal. Saint Louis was a devout Christian, and he built the Sainte Chapelle ("Holy Chapel"), located within the royal palace complex (now the Paris Hall of Justice), on the Île de la Cité in the center of Paris. The Sainte Chapelle, a perfect example of the Rayonnant style of Gothic architecture, waserected as a shrine for the Crown of Thorns and a fragment of the True Cross, precious relics of the Passion of Jesus. Louis purchased these in 1239–1241 from Emperor Baldwin II of the Latin Empire ofConstantinople, for the exorbitant sum of 135,000 livres (the chapel, on the other hand, cost only 60,000 livres to build). This purchase should be understood in the context of the extreme religiousfervor that existed in Europe in the 13th century. The purchase contributed greatly to reinforcing the central position of the king of France in western Christendom, as well as to increasing the renownof Paris, then the largest city of western Europe. During a time when cities and rulers vied for relics, trying to increase their reputation and fame, Louis IX had succeeded in securing the most prizedof all relics in his capital. The purchase was thus not only an act of devotion, but also a political gesture: the French monarchy was trying to establish the kingdom of France as the "new Jerusalem".

Louis IX took very seriously his mission of "lieutenant of God on Earth", with which he had been invested when he had been crowned in Reims. Thus, in order to fulfill his duty, he conducted several crusades, and even though they were unsuccessful, they contributed to his prestige. Contemporaries would not have understood if the king of France did not lead a crusade to the Holy Land. In the same vein, he also ordered the expulsion of the Jews from France, although the loose control of the central government over the kingdom meant that many Jews actually remained in the provinces. Again, this needs to be understood in the context of the 13th century: the dislike of the Jews was general in Europe, as the Christians held the Jews responsible for the death of Jesus Christ. The decision to expel the Jews was largely welcome in all spheres of society.

In all these deeds, Louis IX tried to fulfill the duty of France, which was seen as "the eldest daughter of the Church" (la fille aînée de l'Église), a tradition of protector of the Church going backto the Franks and Charlemagne, who had been crowned in Rome in 800. Indeed, the official Latin title of the kings of France was Rex Francorum, i.e. "king of the Franks", and the kings of France were also known by the title "very Christian king" (Rex Christianissimus). The relationship between France and the papacy was at its peak in the 12th and 13th centuries, and most of the crusades were actually called by the popes from French soil. Eventually, in 1309, Pope Clement V even left Rome and relocated to the French city of Avignon.

Louis IX is often considered the model of the ideal Christian monarch. Because of the aura of holiness attached to the memory of Louis IX, many Kings of France were called Louis, especially in the Bourbon dynasty (Louis XIII to Louis XVIII).

Children

Blanche (1240–April 29, 1243)
Isabelle (March 2, 1241–January 28, 1271), married Theobald V of Champagne
Louis (February 25, 1244–January 1260)
Philippe III (May 1, 1245–October 5, 1285)
Jean (born and died in 1248)
Jean Tristan (1250–August 3, 1270), married Yolande of Burgundy
Pierre (1251–1284), Count of Perche and Alençon; Count of Blois and Chartres in right of his wife, Joanne of Châtillon
Blanche (1253–1323), married Ferdinand de la Cerda, Infante of Castile
Marguerite (1254–1271), married John I, Duke of Brabant
Robert, Count of Clermont (1256–February 7, 1317). He was the ancestor of King Henry IV of France.
Agnes of France (c. 1260–December 19, 1327), married Robert II, Duke of Burgundy

During his minority his mother was Queen Regent of France. Louis was twelve years old when his father died on 8 November 1226. He was crowned king within the month at Reims cathedral. Because of Louis's youth, his mother ruled France as regent during his minority.

He worked with the Parlement of Paris in order to improve the professionalism of his administration in regards to legal actions.

Saint Louis was also a tertiary of the Order of the Holy Trinity and Captives (known as the Trinitarians).

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

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.

In order to finance his first crusade Louis ordered the expulsion of all Jews engaged in usury and the confiscation of their property, for use in his crusade. However, he did not cancel the debts owed by Christians. One-third of the debts was forgiven, but the other two-thirds was to be remitted to the royal treasury. Louis also ordered, at the urging of Pope Gregory IX, the burning in Paris in 1243 of some 12,000 manuscript copies of the Talmud and other Jewish books. Such legislation against the Talmud, not uncommon in the history of Christendom, was due to medieval courts' concerns that its production and circulation might weaken the faith of Christian individuals and threaten the Christian basis of society, the protection of which was the duty of any Christian monarch

In all these deeds, Louis IX tried to fulfill the duty of France, which was seen as "the eldest daughter of the Church" (la fille aînée de l'Église), a tradition of protector of the Church going backto the Franks and Charlemagne, who had been crowned by the Pope in Rome in 800. Indeed, the official Latin title of the kings of France was Rex Francorum, i.e. "king of the Franks", and the kings of France were also known by the title "most Christian king" (Rex Christianissimus). The relationship between France and the papacy was at its peak in the 12th and 13th centuries, and most of the crusadeswere actually called by the popes from French soil. Eventually, in 1309, Pope Clement V even left Rome and relocated to the French city of Avignon, beginning the era known as the Avignon Papacy (or,more disparagingly, the "Babylonian captivity").

He is the only canonized king of France; consequently, there are many places named after him, most notably St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States. the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in California

A bas-relief of St. Louis is one of the carved portraits of historic lawmakers that adorns the chamber of the United States House of Representatives.

Saint Louis is also portrayed on a frieze depicting a timeline of important lawgivers throughout world history in the Courtroom at the Supreme Court of the United States.

he is one of the 23 lawmakers depicted in the House of Representatives chamber of the United States Capitol.

(United States House of Representatives:
The House of Representatives Chamber has 448 permanent seats. Unlike Senators, Representatives do not have assigned seats.

The President delivers the annual State of the Union address in the House chamber

It is adorned with relief portraits of famous lawmakers and lawgivers throughout history.
In order clockwise around the chamber:

George Mason
Robert Joseph Pothier
Jean Baptiste Colbert
Edward I
Alfonso X
Saint Louis
Justinian I
Tribonian
Lycurgus
Hammurabi
Moses
Solon
Papinian
Gaius
Maimonides
Suleiman the Magnificent
Pope Innocent III
Simon de Montfort
Hugo Grotius
Sir William Blackstone
Napoleon I
Thomas Jefferson

ES II:12 PED OF A.H.AYERS

House of Capet
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=bab29056-0f4f-40f4-8738-e5383548fd2c&tid=2308735&pid=-1330878101

Reliquary of Saint Louis Basilica of Saint Dominic, Bologna, Italy
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=163bb477-99fd-4458-a2b5-4cc1d6b084f5&tid=2308735&pid=-1330878101

Saint Louis
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=1790f24f-78e1-4899-8340-4c9a1681ddbe&tid=2308735&pid=-1330878101

Louis IX statue at the Sainte Chapelle, Paris
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=4078f4e9-ab7d-4d5a-8d0a-49c2777e6294&tid=2308735&pid=-1330878101

Apotheosis of St Louis by Charles Niehaus, 1903
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=4b726eda-2ebd-4343-a1a4-139bcbf0adb4&tid=2308735&pid=-1330878101

Tunique and cilice of Louis IX. Treasure of Notre-Dame de Paris
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=2b3de416-b698-4585-a418-e820e6a4346d&tid=2308735&pid=-1330878101

_P_CCINFO 1-20792

Louis IX, called St. Louis (1214-70), king of France (1226-70), son and
successor of Louis VIII. Louis's mother, Blanche of Castile (1188-1252),
daughter of Alfonso IX, king of Castile, was regent during his minority
and again from 1248 until her death in 1252. During the latter years Louis
was in the Holy Land on the Seventh Crusade, one of the religious wars
between Christians and Muslims. Louis and his forces were defeated and
captured in Egypt in 1250, and the king remained in Syria for four years
before returning to France. In 1258 Louis signed the Treaty of Corbeil,
relinquishing to the kingdom of Aragón all French claims to Barcelona and
Roussillon, in return for which the Aragonese renounced their claims to
parts of Provence and Languedoc. In 1259 he 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, Poitou, Maine, and Touraine. In 1270 Louis embarked on another
Crusade and died en route at Tunis in northern Africa. He was succeeded by
his son Philip III. Louis, an outstanding monarch of medieval times, was
canonized in 1297. His feast day is August 25.

King of the Franks
Son of Louis VIII Mother, Blanca de Castille.
Father died when Louis was 11 years old. Louis married, unknown? at 19 years of age.
At age 21 became King of Sicily buring 1270.
Louis was the first king to have held his Vassals accountable if they mistreated their serfs and their knights. They were punished just like anyone else. He was pious and just.
Became Canonized August 11, 1297.
Feast day Aug 25.
Sources:
On the family of Louis IX:
Libro de los Santos, Book of the Saints.
Funk and Wagnalls Standard Home Reference
Dictionary, World Scope Family Library
1956 Volume II L-Z
Les Sources du Regne de Hughes Capet Revue Historique
Tome XXVIII Paris 1891, P. Violet

Capet Coat of Arms
http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=8f400ddd-919e-400f-b1aa-54d79d3de350&tid=6959821&pid=-1169180452

2nd cousin 24 generations removed

Louis IX or Saint Louis (April 25, 1215 – August 25, 1270) was King of France from 1226 until his death. Born at Poissy, France, he was a member of the Capetian dynasty and the son of King Louis VIIIand Blanche of Castile.

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

Louis was eleven years old when his father died in 1226. He was crowned king the same year in the cathedral at Reims.

Because of Louis' youth, his mother, Blanche of Castile, ruled France as regent until 1234, when Louis was deemed of age to rule himself. She continued as an important counsellor to the king until her death in 1252.

On May 27, 1234 Louis married Marguerite de Provence (1221–December 21, 1295), the sister of Eleanor, the wife of Henry III of England.

Louis was the elder brother of Charles I of Sicily (1227–1285), whom he created count of Anjou, thus founding the second Angevin dynasty.

Louis brought an end to the Albigensian Crusade in 1229 after signing an agreement with Count Raymond VII of Toulouse that cleared his father of wrong-doing. Raymond VI had been suspected of murdering a preacher on a mission to convert the Cathars.

Louis' piety and kindness towards the poor were much celebrated. He went on crusade twice, in 1248 (Seventh Crusade) and then in 1270 (Eighth Crusade). Both crusades were total failures. After initial success in his first attempt, Louis's army was met by overwhelming resistance from the Egyptian army and citizens. In 1249, Louis was eventually defeated and taken prisoner in Mansoura, Egypt. Louisand his companions were then released in return for the surrender of the French army and a large ransom. He died near Tunis during the latter expedition on August 25, 1270 traditionally believed to beduring an outbreak of plague but thought by modern scholars to be dysentery.

Some of his entrails were buried directly on the spot in Tunisia, where a Tomb of Saint-Louis can still be visit today, whereas other parts of his entrails were sealed in an urn and placed in the Basilica of Monreale, Palermo, where they still remain. His corpse was taken, via a short stay at the Basilica of Saint Dominic in Bologna, to the French royal necropolis at Saint-Denis, resting in Lyon on the way. His tomb at Saint-Denis was a magnificent gilt brass monument designed in the late 14th century. It was melted down during the French Wars of Religion, at which time the body of the king disappeared. Only one finger was rescued and is kept at Saint-Denis.

Pope Boniface VIII proclaimed the canonization of Louis in 1297; he is the only French monarch ever to be made a saint.

Louis IX was succeeded by his son, Philippe III.

Louis' patronage of the arts drove much innovation in Gothic art and architecture, and the style of his court radiated throughout Europe by both the purchase of art objects from Parisian masters for export and by the marriage of the king's many daughters to foreign husbands and their subsequent introduction of Parisian models elsewhere. Louis' personal chapel, the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, was copied more than once by his descendants elsewhere. Louis most likely ordered the production of the Morgan Bible, a masterpiece of medieval painting.

Saint Louis ruled during the so-called "golden century of Saint Louis", when the kingdom of France was at its height in Europe, both politically and economically. The king of France was regarded as aprimus inter pares among the kings and rulers of Europe. He commanded the largest army, and ruled the largest and most wealthy kingdom of Europe, a kingdom which was the European center of arts and intellectual thought (La Sorbonne) at the time. For many, King Louis IX embodied the whole of Christendom in his person. His reputation of saintliness and fairness was already well established while hewas alive, and on many occasions he was chosen as an arbiter in the quarrels opposing the rulers of Europe.

The prestige and respect felt in Europe for King Louis IX was due more to the attraction that his benevolent personality created rather than to military domination. For his contemporaries, he was thequintessential example of the Christian prince.

This perception of Louis IX as the quintessential Christian prince was reinforced by his religious zeal. Saint Louis was a devout Christian, and he built the Sainte Chapelle ("Holy Chapel"), located within the royal palace complex (now the Paris Hall of Justice), on the Île de la Cité in the center of Paris. The Sainte Chapelle, a perfect example of the Rayonnant style of Gothic architecture, waserected as a shrine for the Crown of Thorns and a fragment of the True Cross, precious relics of the Passion of Jesus. Louis purchased these in 1239–1241 from Emperor Baldwin II of the Latin Empire ofConstantinople, for the exorbitant sum of 135,000 livres (the chapel, on the other hand, cost only 60,000 livres to build). This purchase should be understood in the context of the extreme religiousfervor that existed in Europe in the 13th century. The purchase contributed greatly to reinforcing the central position of the king of France in western Christendom, as well as to increasing the renownof Paris, then the largest city of western Europe. During a time when cities and rulers vied for relics, trying to increase their reputation and fame, Louis IX had succeeded in securing the most prizedof all relics in his capital. The purchase was thus not only an act of devotion, but also a political gesture: the French monarchy was trying to establish the kingdom of France as the "new Jerusalem".

Louis IX took very seriously his mission of "lieutenant of God on Earth", with which he had been invested when he had been crowned in Reims. Thus, in order to fulfill his duty, he conducted several crusades, and even though they were unsuccessful, they contributed to his prestige. Contemporaries would not have understood if the king of France did not lead a crusade to the Holy Land. In the same vein, he also ordered the expulsion of the Jews from France, although the loose control of the central government over the kingdom meant that many Jews actually remained in the provinces. Again, this needs to be understood in the context of the 13th century: the dislike of the Jews was general in Europe, as the Christians held the Jews responsible for the death of Jesus Christ. The decision to expel the Jews was largely welcome in all spheres of society.

In all these deeds, Louis IX tried to fulfill the duty of France, which was seen as "the eldest daughter of the Church" (la fille aînée de l'Église), a tradition of protector of the Church going backto the Franks and Charlemagne, who had been crowned in Rome in 800. Indeed, the official Latin title of the kings of France was Rex Francorum, i.e. "king of the Franks", and the kings of France were also known by the title "very Christian king" (Rex Christianissimus). The relationship between France and the papacy was at its peak in the 12th and 13th centuries, and most of the crusades were actually called by the popes from French soil. Eventually, in 1309, Pope Clement V even left Rome and relocated to the French city of Avignon.

Louis IX is often considered the model of the ideal Christian monarch. Because of the aura of holiness attached to the memory of Louis IX, many Kings of France were called Louis, especially in the Bourbon dynasty (Louis XIII to Louis XVIII).

Children

Blanche (1240–April 29, 1243)
Isabelle (March 2, 1241–January 28, 1271), married Theobald V of Champagne
Louis (February 25, 1244–January 1260)
Philippe III (May 1, 1245–October 5, 1285)
Jean (born and died in 1248)
Jean Tristan (1250–August 3, 1270), married Yolande of Burgundy
Pierre (1251–1284), Count of Perche and Alençon; Count of Blois and Chartres in right of his wife, Joanne of Châtillon
Blanche (1253–1323), married Ferdinand de la Cerda, Infante of Castile
Marguerite (1254–1271), married John I, Duke of Brabant
Robert, Count of Clermont (1256–February 7, 1317). He was the ancestor of King Henry IV of France.
Agnes of France (c. 1260–December 19, 1327), married Robert II, Duke of Burgundy

During his minority his mother was Queen Regent of France. Louis was twelve years old when his father died on 8 November 1226. He was crowned king within the month at Reims cathedral. Because of Louis's youth, his mother ruled France as regent during his minority.

He worked with the Parlement of Paris in order to improve the professionalism of his administration in regards to legal actions.

Saint Louis was also a tertiary of the Order of the Holy Trinity and Captives (known as the Trinitarians).

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

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.

In order to finance his first crusade Louis ordered the expulsion of all Jews engaged in usury and the confiscation of their property, for use in his crusade. However, he did not cancel the debts owed by Christians. One-third of the debts was forgiven, but the other two-thirds was to be remitted to the royal treasury. Louis also ordered, at the urging of Pope Gregory IX, the burning in Paris in 1243 of some 12,000 manuscript copies of the Talmud and other Jewish books. Such legislation against the Talmud, not uncommon in the history of Christendom, was due to medieval courts' concerns that its production and circulation might weaken the faith of Christian individuals and threaten the Christian basis of society, the protection of which was the duty of any Christian monarch

In all these deeds, Louis IX tried to fulfill the duty of France, which was seen as "the eldest daughter of the Church" (la fille aînée de l'Église), a tradition of protector of the Church going backto the Franks and Charlemagne, who had been crowned by the Pope in Rome in 800. Indeed, the official Latin title of the kings of France was Rex Francorum, i.e. "king of the Franks", and the kings of France were also known by the title "most Christian king" (Rex Christianissimus). The relationship between France and the papacy was at its peak in the 12th and 13th centuries, and most of the crusadeswere actually called by the popes from French soil. Eventually, in 1309, Pope Clement V even left Rome and relocated to the French city of Avignon, beginning the era known as the Avignon Papacy (or,more disparagingly, the "Babylonian captivity").

He is the only canonized king of France; consequently, there are many places named after him, most notably St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States. the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in California

A bas-relief of St. Louis is one of the carved portraits of historic lawmakers that adorns the chamber of the United States House of Representatives.

Saint Louis is also portrayed on a frieze depicting a timeline of important lawgivers throughout world history in the Courtroom at the Supreme Court of the United States.

he is one of the 23 lawmakers depicted in the House of Representatives chamber of the United States Capitol.

(United States House of Representatives:
The House of Representatives Chamber has 448 permanent seats. Unlike Senators, Representatives do not have assigned seats.

The President delivers the annual State of the Union address in the House chamber

It is adorned with relief portraits of famous lawmakers and lawgivers throughout history.
In order clockwise around the chamber:

George Mason
Robert Joseph Pothier
Jean Baptiste Colbert
Edward I
Alfonso X
Saint Louis
Justinian I
Tribonian
Lycurgus
Hammurabi
Moses
Solon
Papinian
Gaius
Maimonides
Suleiman the Magnificent
Pope Innocent III
Simon de Montfort
Hugo Grotius
Sir William Blackstone
Napoleon I
Thomas Jefferson

KING OF FRANCE 1226-1270 (ACCEDED 11/8/1226, AND WAS LATER CONSECRATED AT RHEIMS
11/29/1226); SAINT; GAVE THE COUNTSHIP OF ANJOU TO HIS BROTHER, WHO BECAME
CHARLES I OF NAPLES; LEADER OF THE 6TH CRUSADE (1228-1229) WITH FREDERICK II;
LEADER OF THE 7TH CRUSADE (1248-1254) WITH BROTHER CHARLES; LEADER OF THE 8TH
CRUSADE (1270-1291) WITH BROTHER CHARLES & EDWARD I, KING OF ENGLAND (DIED OF
THE PLAGUE WHILE IN CARTHAGE EARLY IN CRUSADE)

St. Loius IX Capet
h t t p : / / t r e e s . a n c e s t r y . c o m / r d ? f = i m a g e&guid=ba79c0a5-72f7-4012-a8d1-e85f2eaafe6b&tid=312040&pid=-1911824731

He was a Crusader King. He was canonized on 11 Aug 1297 by Pope Boniface VIII.

Armorial Général de France: Les SABRAN

Louis IX or Saint Louis (April 25, 1215 – August 25, 1270) was King of France from 1226 until his death. Born at Poissy, France, he was a member of the Capetian dynasty and the son of King Louis VIIIand Blanche of Castile.

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

Louis was eleven years old when his father died in 1226. He was crowned king the same year in the cathedral at Reims.

Because of Louis' youth, his mother, Blanche of Castile, ruled France as regent until 1234, when Louis was deemed of age to rule himself. She continued as an important counsellor to the king until her death in 1252.

On May 27, 1234 Louis married Marguerite de Provence (1221–December 21, 1295), the sister of Eleanor, the wife of Henry III of England.

Louis was the elder brother of Charles I of Sicily (1227–1285), whom he created count of Anjou, thus founding the second Angevin dynasty.

Louis brought an end to the Albigensian Crusade in 1229 after signing an agreement with Count Raymond VII of Toulouse that cleared his father of wrong-doing. Raymond VI had been suspected of murdering a preacher on a mission to convert the Cathars.

Louis' piety and kindness towards the poor were much celebrated. He went on crusade twice, in 1248 (Seventh Crusade) and then in 1270 (Eighth Crusade). Both crusades were total failures. After initial success in his first attempt, Louis's army was met by overwhelming resistance from the Egyptian army and citizens. In 1249, Louis was eventually defeated and taken prisoner in Mansoura, Egypt. Louisand his companions were then released in return for the surrender of the French army and a large ransom. He died near Tunis during the latter expedition on August 25, 1270 traditionally believed to beduring an outbreak of plague but thought by modern scholars to be dysentery.

Some of his entrails were buried directly on the spot in Tunisia, where a Tomb of Saint-Louis can still be visit today, whereas other parts of his entrails were sealed in an urn and placed in the Basilica of Monreale, Palermo, where they still remain. His corpse was taken, via a short stay at the Basilica of Saint Dominic in Bologna, to the French royal necropolis at Saint-Denis, resting in Lyon on the way. His tomb at Saint-Denis was a magnificent gilt brass monument designed in the late 14th century. It was melted down during the French Wars of Religion, at which time the body of the king disappeared. Only one finger was rescued and is kept at Saint-Denis.

Pope Boniface VIII proclaimed the canonization of Louis in 1297; he is the only French monarch ever to be made a saint.

Louis IX was succeeded by his son, Philippe III.

Louis' patronage of the arts drove much innovation in Gothic art and architecture, and the style of his court radiated throughout Europe by both the purchase of art objects from Parisian masters for export and by the marriage of the king's many daughters to foreign husbands and their subsequent introduction of Parisian models elsewhere. Louis' personal chapel, the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, was copied more than once by his descendants elsewhere. Louis most likely ordered the production of the Morgan Bible, a masterpiece of medieval painting.

Saint Louis ruled during the so-called "golden century of Saint Louis", when the kingdom of France was at its height in Europe, both politically and economically. The king of France was regarded as aprimus inter pares among the kings and rulers of Europe. He commanded the largest army, and ruled the largest and most wealthy kingdom of Europe, a kingdom which was the European center of arts and intellectual thought (La Sorbonne) at the time. For many, King Louis IX embodied the whole of Christendom in his person. His reputation of saintliness and fairness was already well established while hewas alive, and on many occasions he was chosen as an arbiter in the quarrels opposing the rulers of Europe.

The prestige and respect felt in Europe for King Louis IX was due more to the attraction that his benevolent personality created rather than to military domination. For his contemporaries, he was thequintessential example of the Christian prince.

This perception of Louis IX as the quintessential Christian prince was reinforced by his religious zeal. Saint Louis was a devout Christian, and he built the Sainte Chapelle ("Holy Chapel"), located within the royal palace complex (now the Paris Hall of Justice), on the Île de la Cité in the center of Paris. The Sainte Chapelle, a perfect example of the Rayonnant style of Gothic architecture, waserected as a shrine for the Crown of Thorns and a fragment of the True Cross, precious relics of the Passion of Jesus. Louis purchased these in 1239–1241 from Emperor Baldwin II of the Latin Empire ofConstantinople, for the exorbitant sum of 135,000 livres (the chapel, on the other hand, cost only 60,000 livres to build). This purchase should be understood in the context of the extreme religiousfervor that existed in Europe in the 13th century. The purchase contributed greatly to reinforcing the central position of the king of France in western Christendom, as well as to increasing the renownof Paris, then the largest city of western Europe. During a time when cities and rulers vied for relics, trying to increase their reputation and fame, Louis IX had succeeded in securing the most prizedof all relics in his capital. The purchase was thus not only an act of devotion, but also a political gesture: the French monarchy was trying to establish the kingdom of France as the "new Jerusalem".

Louis IX took very seriously his mission of "lieutenant of God on Earth", with which he had been invested when he had been crowned in Reims. Thus, in order to fulfill his duty, he conducted several crusades, and even though they were unsuccessful, they contributed to his prestige. Contemporaries would not have understood if the king of France did not lead a crusade to the Holy Land. In the same vein, he also ordered the expulsion of the Jews from France, although the loose control of the central government over the kingdom meant that many Jews actually remained in the provinces. Again, this needs to be understood in the context of the 13th century: the dislike of the Jews was general in Europe, as the Christians held the Jews responsible for the death of Jesus Christ. The decision to expel the Jews was largely welcome in all spheres of society.

In all these deeds, Louis IX tried to fulfill the duty of France, which was seen as "the eldest daughter of the Church" (la fille aînée de l'Église), a tradition of protector of the Church going backto the Franks and Charlemagne, who had been crowned in Rome in 800. Indeed, the official Latin title of the kings of France was Rex Francorum, i.e. "king of the Franks", and the kings of France were also known by the title "very Christian king" (Rex Christianissimus). The relationship between France and the papacy was at its peak in the 12th and 13th centuries, and most of the crusades were actually called by the popes from French soil. Eventually, in 1309, Pope Clement V even left Rome and relocated to the French city of Avignon.

Louis IX is often considered the model of the ideal Christian monarch. Because of the aura of holiness attached to the memory of Louis IX, many Kings of France were called Louis, especially in the Bourbon dynasty (Louis XIII to Louis XVIII).

Children

Blanche (1240–April 29, 1243)
Isabelle (March 2, 1241–January 28, 1271), married Theobald V of Champagne
Louis (February 25, 1244–January 1260)
Philippe III (May 1, 1245–October 5, 1285)
Jean (born and died in 1248)
Jean Tristan (1250–August 3, 1270), married Yolande of Burgundy
Pierre (1251–1284), Count of Perche and Alençon; Count of Blois and Chartres in right of his wife, Joanne of Châtillon
Blanche (1253–1323), married Ferdinand de la Cerda, Infante of Castile
Marguerite (1254–1271), married John I, Duke of Brabant
Robert, Count of Clermont (1256–February 7, 1317). He was the ancestor of King Henry IV of France.
Agnes of France (c. 1260–December 19, 1327), married Robert II, Duke of Burgundy

During his minority his mother was Queen Regent of France. Louis was twelve years old when his father died on 8 November 1226. He was crowned king within the month at Reims cathedral. Because of Louis's youth, his mother ruled France as regent during his minority.

He worked with the Parlement of Paris in order to improve the professionalism of his administration in regards to legal actions.

Saint Louis was also a tertiary of the Order of the Holy Trinity and Captives (known as the Trinitarians).

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

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.

In order to finance his first crusade Louis ordered the expulsion of all Jews engaged in usury and the confiscation of their property, for use in his crusade. However, he did not cancel the debts owed by Christians. One-third of the debts was forgiven, but the other two-thirds was to be remitted to the royal treasury. Louis also ordered, at the urging of Pope Gregory IX, the burning in Paris in 1243 of some 12,000 manuscript copies of the Talmud and other Jewish books. Such legislation against the Talmud, not uncommon in the history of Christendom, was due to medieval courts' concerns that its production and circulation might weaken the faith of Christian individuals and threaten the Christian basis of society, the protection of which was the duty of any Christian monarch

In all these deeds, Louis IX tried to fulfill the duty of France, which was seen as "the eldest daughter of the Church" (la fille aînée de l'Église), a tradition of protector of the Church going backto the Franks and Charlemagne, who had been crowned by the Pope in Rome in 800. Indeed, the official Latin title of the kings of France was Rex Francorum, i.e. "king of the Franks", and the kings of France were also known by the title "most Christian king" (Rex Christianissimus). The relationship between France and the papacy was at its peak in the 12th and 13th centuries, and most of the crusadeswere actually called by the popes from French soil. Eventually, in 1309, Pope Clement V even left Rome and relocated to the French city of Avignon, beginning the era known as the Avignon Papacy (or,more disparagingly, the "Babylonian captivity").

He is the only canonized king of France; consequently, there are many places named after him, most notably St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States. the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in California

A bas-relief of St. Louis is one of the carved portraits of historic lawmakers that adorns the chamber of the United States House of Representatives.

Saint Louis is also portrayed on a frieze depicting a timeline of important lawgivers throughout world history in the Courtroom at the Supreme Court of the United States.

he is one of the 23 lawmakers depicted in the House of Representatives chamber of the United States Capitol.

(United States House of Representatives:
The House of Representatives Chamber has 448 permanent seats. Unlike Senators, Representatives do not have assigned seats.

The President delivers the annual State of the Union address in the House chamber

It is adorned with relief portraits of famous lawmakers and lawgivers throughout history.
In order clockwise around the chamber:

George Mason
Robert Joseph Pothier
Jean Baptiste Colbert
Edward I
Alfonso X
Saint Louis
Justinian I
Tribonian
Lycurgus
Hammurabi
Moses
Solon
Papinian
Gaius
Maimonides
Suleiman the Magnificent
Pope Innocent III
Simon de Montfort
Hugo Grotius
Sir William Blackstone
Napoleon I
Thomas Jefferson

Do you have supplementary information, corrections or questions with regards to Louis IX 'le Saint' ""Saint Louis"" de France roi de France?
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Timeline Louis IX 'le Saint' ""Saint Louis"" de France roi de France

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Ancestors (and descendant) of Louis IX 'le Saint' de France

Philippe II 'Auguste' de France
1180-1162

Isabel de Hainaut
1170-1190

Alfonso VIII 'el Noble' de Castilla
1155-± 1214

Aliénor d'Angleterre
1162-1214

Louis VIII 'le Lion' de France
1187-1190

Blanca de Castilla
± 1188-1252

Louis IX 'le Saint' de France
1214-1270

± 1234

Margarida de Provença
± 1221-1295



					Philippe III 'le Hardi' de France 1245-1285

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Historical events

Birthday April 25, 1214

Graaf Willem I (Hollands Huis) was from 1203 till 1222 sovereign of the Netherlands (also known as Graafschap Holland)

Christening day June 24, 1933

The temperature on June 24, 1933 was between 12.8 °C and 20.0 °C and averaged 15.7 °C. There was 2.6 hours of sunshine (16%). The average windspeed was 3 Bft (moderate breeze) and was prevailing from the west. Source: KNMI
Koningin Wilhelmina (Huis van Oranje-Nassau) was from 1890 till 1948 sovereign of the Netherlands (also known as Koninkrijk der Nederlanden)
In The Netherlands , there was from August 10, 1929 to May 26, 1933 the cabinet Ruys de Beerenbrouck III, with Jonkheer mr. Ch.J.M. Ruys de Beerenbrouck (RKSP) as prime minister.
In The Netherlands , there was from May 26, 1933 to July 31, 1935 the cabinet Colijn II, with Dr. H. Colijn (ARP) as prime minister.
In the year 1933: Source: Wikipedia
- The Netherlands had about 8.2 million citizens.
- March 9 » Great Depression: President Franklin D. Roosevelt submits the Emergency Banking Act to Congress, the first of his New Deal policies.
- May 17 » Vidkun Quisling and Johan Bernhard Hjort form Nasjonal Samling — the national-socialist party of Norway.
- May 27 » The Walt Disney Company releases the cartoon Three Little Pigs, with its hit song "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?"
- June 17 » Union Station massacre: In Kansas City, Missouri, four FBI agents and captured fugitive Frank Nash are gunned down by gangsters attempting to free Nash.
- December 5 » The Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified.
- December 17 » The first NFL Championship Game is played. The game was at Wrigley Field between the New York Giants and Chicago Bears. The Bears won 23–21.

Day of death August 25, 1270

Graaf Floris V (Hollands Huis) was from 1256 till 1296 sovereign of the Netherlands (also known as Graafschap Holland)

Source: Wikipedia

1214 » Louis IX of France († 1270)
1228 » Conrad IV of Germany († 1254)
1284 » Edward II of England († 1327)
1287 » Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland († 1330)
1502 » Georg Major, German theologian and academic († 1574)
1529 » Francesco Patrizi, Italian philosopher and scientist († 1597)

Source: Wikipedia

1258 » George Mouzalon, regent of the Empire of Nicaea
1270 » Alphonso of Brienne (b. c. 1225)
1270 » Louis IX of France (b. 1214)
1271 » Joan, Countess of Toulouse (b. 1220)
1282 » Thomas de Cantilupe, English bishop and saint (b. 1218)
1322 » Beatrice of Silesia, queen consort of Germany (b. c. 1292)

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Family tree Homs » Louis IX 'le Saint' ""Saint Louis"" de France roi de France (1214-1270)