Louis Ix Of France

King Louis IX of France or Saint Louis (April 25, 1214/1215August 25, 1270) was King of France from 1226 until his death. A member of the Capetian dynasty, he was born at Poissy, France, the son of King Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile.

Life

Louis' father died when he was eleven years old and he was crowned king in 1226 in the cathedral at Reims. His mother acted as Regent until 1234 and continued as an important counselor to the king until her death in 1252. Louis married on May 27, 1234, Marguerite de Provence (1221December 21, 1295), the sister of Eleanor, the wife of Henry III. Their children were:
  1. Blanche (1240April 29, 1243)
  2. Isabelle (March 2, 1241January 28, 1271), married Theobald V of Champagne
  3. Louis (February 25, 1244–January 1260)
  4. Philippe III (May 1, 1245October 5, 1285)
  5. Jean (born and died in 1248)
  6. Jean Tristan (1250August 3, 1270)
  7. Pierre (12511284)
  8. Blanche (12531323), married Ferdinand de la Cerda
  9. Marguerite (12541271), married John I, Duke of Brabant
  10. Robert (1256February 7, 1317)
  11. Agns (c. 1260December 19, 1327), married Robert II, Duke of Burgundy
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. 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's 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. Louis and 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 during an outbreak of plague. His finger is interred at Saint Denis Basilica, but most of his body is buried in Tunisia. 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 a saint

colspan="2" bgcolor="gold" style="font-size:120%"|Saint Louis, King of France
lign="center" colspan="2" bgcolor="gold"|Saint
b>Canonized 1297
b>Feast August 25
b>Attributes Depicted as King of France, generally with a crown, holding a scepter 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)
b>Patronage France, French monarchy; hairdressers; passementiers
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 city of Saint Louis, Missouri, Lac Saint-Louis in Quebec, and the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in California are among the many places named for him.
width="30%" align="center" | Preceded by:
Louis VIII
width="40%" align="center" | King of France width="30%" align="center" | Succeeded by:
Philip III
Louis 09
     

 

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