Louis IX of France

Louis IX of France (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), often called Saint Louis, reigned as king from 1226 until his death. He is considered the most notable ruler of the Direct Capetian line, the only French king to be made a saint by the Catholic Church, and the direct forebear of every later French monarch. Crowned at Reims at age twelve after his father Louis VIII died, his mother Blanche of Castile ran the kingdom as regent until he reached adulthood and remained a key advisor until her death.

During his youth, Blanche put down rebellious nobles and advanced Capetian interests in the Albigensian Crusade, which had been running for about twenty years. As an adult, Louis faced ongoing conflicts with powerful nobles like Hugh X of Lusignan and Peter I of Brittany. At the same time, England’s Henry III tried to reclaim Angevin lands on the continent but was soundly beaten at the Battle of Taillebourg. Louis expanded French territory by taking over parts of Aquitaine, Maine, and Provence. Fulfilling a vow made while recovering from a serious illness, he led the unsuccessful Seventh and Eighth Crusades against Muslim dynasties in North Africa, Egypt, and the Holy Land. He was captured and ransomed during the Seventh Crusade, and died of dysentery during the Eighth. His son Philip III took over.

Louis overhauled the French legal system, setting up a royal justice process that let people appeal rulings directly to the king. He ended trials by ordeal, tried to stop private wars, and introduced the presumption of innocence in criminal cases. To enforce these changes, he created the roles of provosts and bailiffs. His reign is often seen as a high point for medieval France economically and politically, and he was widely respected across Christendom. His reputation for fairness led other rulers to ask him to settle their disputes. He built on the work of earlier kings, especially his grandfather Philip II, and reformed the crown’s administrative bodies. He brought back and broadened the use of *enquêtes*—investigations into government abuses that resulted in financial compensation from the crown.

Over the centuries, admirers have praised Louis as the ideal Christian king. His skill as a knight and his easy manner with people made him popular. He was deeply pious, earning the nickname “monk king.” Louis enforced Catholic orthodoxy strictly, passing harsh laws against blasphemy and targeting France’s Jewish population. He ordered Jews to wear a yellow badge of shame and, after the Disputation of Paris, had the Talmud burned.

**Sources** Most of what we know about Louis comes from Jean de Joinville’s *Life of Saint Louis*. Joinville was a close friend and advisor who testified at the papal inquiry that led to Louis’s canonization in 1297 by Pope Boniface VIII. Two other key biographies were written by the king’s confessor, Geoffrey of Beaulieu, and his chaplain, William of Chartres. Although several people wrote about Louis soon after his death, only Joinville, Geoffrey, and William knew him personally and witnessed the events they describe; all three are biased in his favor. A fourth major source is William of Saint-Parthus’s 19th-century biography, which drew on the papal inquiry records.

**Early life** Louis was born on 25 April 1214 in Poissy, near Paris, to Prince Louis “the Lion” (later Louis VIII) and Blanche of Castile, during the reign of his grandfather Philip II Augustus. He was baptized at La Collégiale Notre-Dame in Poissy. His maternal grandfather was King Alfonso VIII of Castile. Tutors chosen by Blanche taught him Latin, public speaking, writing, military skills, and government. When Philip II died in 1223, Louis’s father became king, and Louis was nine.

**Minority (1226–1234)** Louis was twelve when his father died on 8 November 1226. He was crowned on 29 November 1226 at Reims Cathedral by the bishop of Soissons. His mother Blanche ruled as regent during his minority and instilled in him her deep Christian faith. She is once recorded as saying: [quote omitted as per rules]. Louis’s younger brother Charles I of Sicily (1227–85) was made count of Anjou, founding the Capetian Angevin dynasty. In 1229, when Louis was fifteen, his mother ended the Albigensian Crusade by making a deal with Raymond VII of Toulouse. Raymond VI of Toulouse had been suspected of ordering the murder of Pierre de Castelnau, a Catholic preacher who tried to convert the Cathars.

On 27 May 1234, Louis married Margaret of Provence (1221–1295); she was crowned queen at Sens Cathedral the next day. Margaret was the sister of Eleanor of Provence, who later married Henry III of England. Margaret’s religious devotion matched Louis’s, and they got along well, enjoying riding, reading, and music together. His closeness to Margaret made his mother jealous, and she tried to keep them apart as much as possible. While contemporaries saw Louis’s reign as a co-rule with his mother, historians generally believe Louis began ruling independently earlier than often assumed.