One of the most famous of all French rulers was St Louis IX, the son of King Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile and who would ultimately lead two Crusades to retake the Holy Land from the Muslims. Louis IX was born in Poissy, France in 1214 to King Louis VIII and Blanche of Castille. Louis was only twelve-years-old when he became King of France, with his mother acting as Regent. The Queen Mother instructed her son from early in life on theology and the importance of God in the life of a king. Thanks to his devoted mother Louis IX was trained from childhood to be a pious and totally unselfish monarch. He inherited his full royal powers on his twenty-first birthday.
He fought a war against the English who still controled almost half of France, under King Henry III. In 1259 this war was ended when both monarchs signed the Treaty of Paris. As king, Louis IX stopped the growing power of the nobility and reserved more authority for the crown. Such efforts to take power from the upper class in other countries often led to great turmoil, however, King Louis' fair and upright character won him the admiration of the nobles who continued to support him even when their influence was being reduced.
King Louis was known for his loyal protection of the clergy against secular authorities and for firmly upholding the laws against blasphemy. He tried to remain neutral in the numerous disputes between European states but was not always successful. After his war with England's Henry III he made restitution to the innocent people whose property was destroyed. He established the Sorbonne in 1252 and the monasteries of Rayaumont, Vavert, and Maubuisson.
In 1248 King Louis IX launched a Crusade to drive the Muslim Turks out of the Holy Land but was defeated in Egypt and taken prisoner by the Turkish forces. He was released only after the French government agreed to pay the Muslims an extremely large (king's) ransom for their monarch. However, this imprisonment had not diminished the King's desire to see the forces of Islam driven out of the homeland of Christ and in 1270 he led yet another Crusade but died while still in North Africa when a plague devestated his army. However, the integrity and personal character of King Louis IX ensured that his memory would live on for hundreds of years. Even his enemies admired him and the French considered him to be the ideal ruler for his courage, fairness, morality and Christian convictions. In 1297 the merits of the king were recognized when His Holiness Pope Boniface VIII canonized the deceased monarch as Saint Louis. |
