Louis IX Flashcards
When had the nucleus of royal administration in France taken shape?
The “nucleus” of a royal administration had already been constructed by the time Louis IX took the throne in 1226, under the direction of his grandfather Philip Augustus
What was a constant military threat in the state?
Even as Louis IX succeeded to the throne, his kingdom was immersed in the Albigensian crusade, and violent unrest continued in the south throughout the 1240s.
What was remarkable about Louis IX?
Very typical medieval king, but in the way he pushed the attributes of Kingship, became very unusual and extraordinary. Kings do not usually become Saints, but Louis was singled out for such a status even before death.
List the Capetian kings
* Philip II Augustus (1180-1223) - important to St Louis * Louis VIII (1223-1226) - came to throne at advanced age and died quickly * Louis IX, Saint Louis (1226-1270) * Philip III the Bold (1270-1285) * Philip IV the Fair (1285-1314)
What defined Louis’ rulership?
Piety - deeply religious individual - defined his kingship
What made people uncomfortable about Louis?
His helping of the poor -washing their feet - was seen as too pious. This was followed up by wearing poor clothes - he was seen by some to be pushing it too far
Name some key life events for Louis IX
- Born in 1214
- Became king at 12
- Reign: 1226-1270
- Until 1234: official regency of Blanche of Castile, his mother
- 1242: end of troubles with aristocracy, end of Blanche’s reign
- 1248, departure to crusade - goes to Egypt for 6 years - secure in own power, as he left for a long time - left power to mother, when she died, he returned in 1253
What was the economic status of the 13th century?
13th Century in Europe was a time of growth - people felt they were living well - retrospectively seen as golden days - lot of disposable income
What threat did the Plantagenet dynasty present at this moment in time?
60 years prior, the Plantagenet threat (late 1150s) - just before Philip - the ruler of the West was the King of England - actual france was a smaller region. The threat of the Plantagenet dynasty was serious. Rolled back by Philip. By this point, the King only maintained the Duche De Guyenne
How were Louis’ first few years in office?
Louis had a bumpy first few years as a child king - there were boughts of rebellion - but this was tackled by Blanche
What made the perfect king?
Perfect King:
- Kingdom at peace
- (war was also important)
- economy was going well
- population growing
- good looking and handsome - God wished him well indication - meant to do great things
- Loving relationship with wife - atypical
- Good father - written teachings for his sons
What was important to display as a king?
Display of devotion to religion great - self confession, mortifying himself, supporting the poor
In 1256-7, how much of Louis’ income was given to the poor?
In 1256-1257 - Louis gave away 10% of his household income to the poor
What was an additional method of demonstrating piety during the period, poor aside?
Another symbol of piety was the acquisition of relics - especially those to do with Christ - anything to do with things from the Passion of Christ - a lot of this relics were in Constantinople (modern day Istanbul)
What relic did Louis secure?
Louis bought the holiest relic of all - the Crown of Thorns - bought in 1239, alongside the largest available piece of the Cross - these were kept in the ‘Holy Chapel’ - shaped like a box - the Magi reliquary - a church-sized box - hardly any walls - mostly stained glass - complete masterpiece - this is what was expected of a King
What was the downside of Louis’ religious fervour?
The downside of his piety was the fact he was ruthless with nonconformists - heretics (Cathors - Southern France and Northern Italy) - Louis VIII crusaded against these. Louis IX was the most harsh against these - largest during ever in Montsegurl 1242
How did Louis deal with Jewish populations?
Additionally, the Jews - rising anti-Semitism (Jews expelled from England in 1290 too though mind you) - were barred from money lending (staple in business), demanded that the Jews wore a symbol denoting their religion
What was to be put on trial under Louis?
The Talmud
Were crusades popular in the 13th century?
No, not as much as they had been two centuries prior
What were Louis’ ambitions in his campaign to Eygpt?
The Egyptian King owned Jerusalem - take the King, take Jerusalem
When did the Seventh Crusade begin, and how long did it last?
Started in 1248, and continued for six years.
What does the longevity of Louis’ departure from France indicate
The strength and relative stability of the Capetian monarchy - particularly under the continued rule of Blanche
How successful was the campaign?
Initially successful, capturing a port in 1249, however with the battle of Al Mansurah, Louis lost the ground he had gained, and was imprisioned.
When did Blanche die?
1253
When did Louis go on the Eighth Crusade?
Paris, 24 March 1267, Louis and his three sons took the cross. On hearing the reports of the missionaries, Louis resolved to land at Tunis, and he ordered his younger brother, Charles of Anjou, to join him there. The crusaders, among whom was Prince Edward of England, landed at Carthage 17 July 1270, but disease broke out in the camp. Many died of dysentery, and on 25 August, Louis himself died
What art style did Louis invigorate, and how did it spread across Europe?
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 daughters and female relatives to foreign husbands and their subsequent introduction of Parisian models elsewhere.
(Archetypal example: The Sainte-chappelle)
What compounded Louis prestige, on an international level?
During the so-called “golden century of Saint Louis”, the kingdom of France was at its height in Europe, both politically and economically. Saint Louis was regarded as “primus inter pares”, first among equals, among the kings and rulers of the continent. He commanded the largest army and ruled the largest and wealthiest kingdom, the European centre of arts and intellectual thought at the time. The foundations for the famous college of theology later known as the Sorbonne were laid in Paris about the year 1257
What was considered more significant, the military or personal dimensions of Louis?
The prestige and respect felt in Europe for King Louis IX were due more to the attraction that his benevolent personality created rather than to military domination. For his contemporaries, he was the quintessential example of the Christian prince and embodied the whole of Christendom in his person
When was the practice of usury banned?
1230
Name some of the houses Louis formed to support the sick and needy of society
- the House of the Filles-Dieu for reformed prostitutes;
- the Quinze-Vingt for 300 blind men (1254),
- hospitals at Pontoise, Vernon, Compiégne
What did Louis say to his son?
“My dearest son, you should permit yourself to be tormented by every kind of martyrdom before you would allow yourself to commit a mortal sin.”
What, domestically, did Louis do?
He launched a wide-ranigng enquiry of the people; to determine what they thought of the baliffs - officials of the king. The results showed that many found the baliffs to be corrupt, and ulitmately, this led to a restructuring of the baliffs and reform of a central administration to address this
What did Louis pioneer at this time?
First administrant of legislation for the whole country:
- Money lending
- Prostitution
- Gambling
- Private Halls
- Monopoly of Violence
What, in 1259, won Louis prestige?
The Treaty of Paris, 1259
- The King would still call himself the count of regions which he had lost - like Anjou, Normandie etc.
- Tried to find compromise
- Louis recognized the right of Henry to Guyenne
- Requested Henry stop claiming a title to regions Henry did not control
- This won Louis immense prestige
When did Phiip IV rule, what type of monarchy did he inspire?
Philip IV (1285-1314) – controversial figure – incarnation of the strong monarchy “The reign of Philip the fair marks the culmination of the French monarchy” (Strayer, 1980)
What was improved under PIV?
During reign, centralisation and organisation improved, departments more efficient
What was Phillip not so good at?
Spending within his means - obsessed with money, and spending it. This resulted in high taxation which went down poorly with the people - especially passive taxes.
What restarted in 1294?
Hostility with England - 10 years of warfare ensued
How else did Philip IV attempt to raise funds?
P.IV tried to find money without creating a rebellion, so he manipulated two groups – the Jews and Templars
What did Philip IV do the Jews?
- Jews – hostility towards them since 12th Century increased. Myths circulated of Christian children murdered by Jews. 1290 all Jews expelled from England.
- July 1306 – P.IV decided to expel all Jews from Kingdom – make them leave all their property behind
What happened to the Templars?
- Templars – military order, another group manipulated by P.IV. They were archetypical 12th Century ideals – Chivalry, monastreiermet (??) – a lot of money was given to them
- Their image started fading in 13th Century – Jerusalem was lost and since that they were useless and rumours of homosexuality emerged
- P.IV played on this, had document put together with witness accounts (false) of sacrilege of Templars in their houses. Widespread arrest of all Templars by 1312. Templars burned – seen as a step too far by many esp. as leaders supposedly cursed P.IV as burnt – Phil has no male heirs
How did Philip push too far?
- Debased lives, sous and deniers by 2/3rds in 1306 (led to rioting in Paris)
- Forced loans
What followed the death of Philip IV?
Immediately after death, widespread riots. Suppressed discontent exploded.
When were there baronial rebellions in France?
1241-1243 baronial rebellions had disturbed France.
What was the relationship between the Angevins and the Capetians?
More directly relevant to the events of the 1240s was the legacy of distrust inherited from the long rivalry between the Angevins and the Capetians that had reached its political zenith in 1204
What had caused a fundamental transformation of meridional politics?
The royal presence in the south coupled with the eventuality of Capetian succession in the heartland of Occitania heralded a fundamental transformation in meridional politics, a transformation that was deeply resented
How did Louis address the rebellions in 1240s?
Louis personally commanded in the decisive battles at Taillebourg and Saintes on 31 July 1242. Throughout 1243 and into 1244, pacts of submission and promises of obedience were exacted with meticulous care from the defeated rebels.
Hallam: Who moderated the conflict between Louis and Raymond?
Blanche
What brought about displeasure among the lords who had sided with Raymond?
The King’s bringing of them under the law - shown in the trial of Enguerrand de Couey, 1259. When Enguerrand executed three Flemish boys, Saint Nicholas des Bois complained to Louis IX. Enguerrand was to be brought before the court to answer for his crime. He did not, and was thrown into prison
What, does Hallam argue happened under Louis IX in terms of the administration of the land?
Matured.
During Louis IX’s reign, however, royal administration and royal justice penetrated deeply into the principalities held directly by the king, and gradually into the others. In the wake of a growing administration in the royal principality and the capture of Normandy and Languedoc the term royal domain
What land did Louis have to take from lords in 1245?
Poitou, from Hugh de Lusignan
What had Louis IX permitted his brothers to do?
Louis IX allowed his brothers to take over their apanages as they came of age: Artois went to Robert, Poitou and Auvergne to Alfonso and Anjou and Maine not to John, who had died, but to Louis VIII’s seventh son Charles, in 1246
Why is it relatively less important to worry about the loss of the appanages, according to Fawtier?
No modern ideas of territorial unification lay behind their enrichment of the crown of France.
They never sought to become the owners of all of France, to remove the great fiefs, to dismantle the feudal structure of the kingdom.
What does Reynolds argue about the nature of the bind between king and noble?
- It cannot be maintained that the great nobles of the kingdom were tied to the Capetian kings through an interpersonal bond of vassalic feudalism. The case of Joinville, was seeming to run contra to this, was more the exception rather than the rule.
What permitted the extension of French monarchical power?
The maturation of a professional government and professional law
What was a signfiicant threat in 1245 domestically?
Raymond of Provence was to allow his daughter to marry Raymond of Toulouse - this would have allied two major southern families
What does Hallam assert regarding Louis’ commitment to crusading?
His obsession with the crusade proved fruitless and cost his kingdom dear; his asceticism in later life lessened his popularity with his people. He was brutal to Jews and blasphemers, as were so many others in his age. But in his character and achievements he still outstripped his contemporaries by a very long way.
What does Hallam concede to Louis?
- Royal administration, both central and local, royal finance and royal justice all made great strides during his reign, and although they had their defects, still they were strongly influenced by the king’s own ideals of fair and honest government. This was an authoritarian regime, as the French church found, but to resist such a pious Christian and firm ruler as Louis IX was difficult. As a result the French king became pre-eminent not only in France but also in western Europe.
Where had a certain degree of autonomy from the king?
Despite Louis’s residence in the city, Paris in some respects had a certain independence or autonomy which it was proper for him to respect.
How had crime levels fluctuated with the death of Blanche?
- While Louis was on crusade and after Blanche of Castile’s death, public order had degenerated in Paris.228 This pattern of violence— not anarchy but petty crime during royal absences—appears to have been typical for Western Europe.
