Louis IX of France
Louis IX ruled France for forty-four years, went on two crusades, and is the only French king to be canonised. Born at Poissy in 1214, he acceded at twelve on his father Louis VIII's death, and his mother Blanche of Castile governed as regent through baronial revolts and retained enormous influence afterwards. His personal piety was extreme even by the standards of the age. He wore a hair shirt, fasted, washed the feet of the poor, fed beggars from his own table, and paid an enormous sum — more than the cost of building the chapel to house them — for the Crown of Thorns and other relics from the Latin emperor of Constantinople, for which he built the Sainte-Chapelle, completed in 1248. He was regarded across Europe as the model Christian king and was accepted as an arbitrator by other rulers, including between Henry III of England and his barons. He extended royal justice, sending out enquêteurs to investigate the conduct of his own officials and hear complaints against them, banned trial by battle and private war, established the presumption of innocence, and heard petitions in person under an oak at Vincennes. He also expelled the Jews' right to lend at interest, ordered the burning of the Talmud in 1242, and required Jews to wear a distinguishing badge. He led the Seventh Crusade to Egypt in 1248, was defeated and captured at Mansurah in 1250, and was ransomed. He sailed again in 1270 to Tunis and died there of dysentery that August. He was canonised in 1297.
- Lived: 1214 CE – 1270 CE
- Nationality: French
- Roles: king, head_of_state
