Louis's mother instilled in him her devout Christianity. His mother, Blanche, ruled France as regent during his minority. He was crowned king within the month at Reims Cathedral. Louis was 12 years old when his father died on 8 November, 1226. He was nine years old when his grandfather Philip II died and his father became King Louis VIII. Tutors of Blanche's choosing taught him Latin, public speaking, writing, military arts, and government. His grandfather on his father's side was Philip II, king of France his grandfather on his mother's side was Alfonso VIII, king of Castile. Louis was born on 25 April 1214 at Poissy, near Paris, the son of Louis the Lion and Blanche of Castile, and was baptized there in La Collégiale Notre-Dame church. The fourth important source of information is William of Saint-Parthus's 19th-century biography, which he wrote using material from 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 and of the events they describe, and all three are biased favorably to the king. Two other important biographies were written by the king's confessor, Geoffrey of Beaulieu, and his chaplain, William of Chartres. He participated as a witness in the papal inquest into Louis's life that resulted in his canonization in 1297 by Pope Boniface VIII. Joinville was a close friend, confidant, and counselor to the king. Much of what is known of Louis's life comes from Jean de Joinville's famous Life of Saint Louis. 4.2 Four years in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.He passed severe laws punishing blasphemy and targeted France's Jews, including the burning of the Talmud after the Disputation of Paris. Despite his liberalizing legal reforms, Louis was a devout Christian and enforced strict Catholic orthodoxy. His skill as a knight and engaging manner with the public made him popular, though contemporaries occasionally rebuked him as a "monk king". His admirers through the centuries have regarded Louis IX as the ideal Christian ruler. He was captured and ransomed during the Seventh Crusade, and later died of dysentery during the Eighth Crusade. Honoring a vow he had made while praying for recovery during a serious illness, Louis IX led the ill-fated Seventh Crusade and Eighth Crusade against the Muslim dynasties that ruled North Africa, Egypt and the Holy Land. To enforce his new legal system, Louis IX created provosts and bailiffs. He banned trials by ordeal, tried to end private wars, and introduced the presumption of innocence to criminal procedures. Louis IX reformed the French legal process, creating a royal justice system in which petitioners could appeal judgements directly to the king. He was largely admired by fellow European rulers and was sometimes asked to arbitrate disputes outside of his kingdom. His reign is often remembered as an economic and political golden age for the Kingdom of France during the Middle Ages. Louis IX enjoyed immense prestige throughout European Christendom. Louis annexed several provinces, notably parts of Aquitaine, Maine and Provence. Simultaneously, Henry III of England attempted to restore the Angevin continental possessions, but was promptly routed at the Battle of Taillebourg. During Louis' childhood, Blanche dealt with the opposition of rebellious vassals and secured Capetian success in the Albigensian Crusade, which had started 20 years earlier.Īs an adult, Louis IX faced recurring conflicts with some of his realm's most powerful nobles, such as Hugh X of Lusignan and Peter of Dreux. His mother, Blanche of Castile, ruled the kingdom as regent until he reached maturity, and then remained his valued adviser until her death. He was crowned in Reims at the age of 12, following the death of his father Louis VIII. Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly known as Saint Louis or Louis the Saint, was King of France from 1226 to 1270, and the most illustrious of the Direct Capetians.