When a man is the only canonized king of a country, he must have done something right, surely? This article will explore the life and reign of King Louis IX of France, also known as Saint Louis. One of the most famous kings of the Middle Ages, Louis ruled from 1226-70 and was known as one of the most saintly kings to ever sit on the French throne. This article will explore his life and his reign, from his earliest years until his untimely death in North Africa, when he, aged 56 years old.Louiss Early LifeLouis IX of France, c. 1250. Source: The Morgan LibraryLouis was born on April 25, 1214 as the fourth son of King Louis VIII of France (also known as Louis the Lion). Due to the deaths of his older brothers, he would end up being the one to succeed his father as the eldest surviving child.His mother was Blanche of Castile, who herself had royal roots: her grandfather was the founder of the Plantagenet Dynasty, King Henry II of England, and her grandmother was the formidable Eleanor of Aquitaine. His paternal grandfather was the legendary Philip Augustus of France, meaning that as far as royal blood goes, the young Prince Louis had some of the best.Little is known of Louiss early years, partly because he was so young when he came to the throne. He was educated in traditional fashion, undertaking studies in Latin, writing, government, military arts, and more. He was only twelve years old when his father died, and the young Prince Louis was crowned king of France at Reims Cathedral on November 29, 1226.Louiss Minority YearsBlanche of Castile, artist unknown, c. 1250. Source: The Morgan LibraryFortunately for Louis, his mother was still alive, and she ruled as queen regent in his stead, until he came of age. And it is thanks to Blanche that Louis gained his faith and devout Christianity, as she was also a very pious and religiously devoted woman.In addition to her religiosity, Blanche of Castile was a capable ruler of France, which is something that Louis would turn to again later in his life. She successfully ended the Albigensian Crusade by formally signing an agreement with Raymond VII of Toulouse when Louis was just 15 years old.Louiss personal rule is generally accepted to have started around 1234, which was when he was 20 years old, and he married Margaret of Provence. This marriage was a well-suited one, with Margaret also showing her religious devotion openly, much to the delight of Louis. However, Louiss mother was apparently jealous of Margaret and tried to keep the couple apart whenever she could.Louiss pious nature led him to gain a reputation as a monk king among some critics, but for the most part, he was a keen warrior, and he ended up going on two crusades. Aside from this, he was also very well respected in European politics at the time, and would often act as a mediator between two warring kingdoms. Many of his contemporaries saw him as the ideal Christian monarch, so who better to represent Christendom in a crusade?The Origins of the Seventh CrusadeLouis IX taken prisoner during the Seventh Crusade, by Gustave Dor, 1850. Source: Wikimedia CommonsThe First Crusade had been announced at the Council of Clermont in 1095 and had set medieval Europe and Christendom alive with crusading fever. Ever since then, numerous crusades have been to and from the Holy Land in an attempt to reclaim the Holy Land from the Saracens (or the infidel) albeit largely unsuccessfully.Huge names had been involved in these various crusades over the last century-and-a-half, including Pope Urban II, Pope Innocent III, Richard the Lionheart, Frederick Barbarossa, and Louiss own grandfather, Philip Augustus, who had taken part in the famed Third Crusade.The ideal Christian monarchsomeone exactly like Louis IXshould therefore be compelled to go on a crusade for the good of the realm and see that Christendom should be victorious over Islam once and for all. It did not take Louis much persuading to go on a crusade.Louis IX and the Seventh CrusadeDeparture of Louis IX for the Seventh Crusade, by Gustave Dor, c. 1850. Source: Wikimedia CommonsThe Seventh Crusade was so important to Louiss reign, it is sometimes known as the Crusade of Louis IX.The crusade was announced as a response to the loss of Jerusalem in 1244, which led to the rise of the Mamluk sultanate. Of all European monarchs who could have led a crusade, none were better suited than the ideal Christian monarch himself, Louis IX, who took the cross and pledged to retake the Holy Land for Christendom.Louis and his followers landed in Egypt in early June 1249 and swiftly captured the port of Damietta. However, this was the sad pinnacle of the Seventh Crusade, as things soon began to take a turn for the worse.While the capture of Damietta was important, even more so because the Ayyubid Sultan Al-Malik as-Salih Najm al-Din Ayyub was on his deathbed, it was the subsequent march from the coast to Cairo that cost the Crusaders greatly.The Crusaders marched through the Nile River Delta but due to the seasonal rise of the Nile and the scorchingly hot Egyptian summer, the Crusaders made very little progress, losing men to disease and dehydration.The pinnacle came on February 8, 1250, when Louis IXs Crusaders faced off against Turanshahs Ayyubid Dynasty forces at the Battle of Fariskur. The Crusaders were roundly defeated, and Louis was actually captured by the Egyptians.In order to negotiate for his release, the Crusaders were required to pay a ransom of 400,000 livres tournois, as well as surrender the city of Damietta. For context, the annual revenue of France at the time was about 250,000 livres tournois, so France had to borrow money from the Templars to pay it off.The Aftermath of the Seventh CrusadeLouis IX during the Seventh Crusade, by Guillaume de Saint-Pathus, c. 1350. Source: USUFollowing the Seventh Crusade and his release from captivity, Louis IX did not opt to return to France. Instead, he would stay in and around the Holy Land for the next four years, with his mother ruling as queen regent until her death in 1252.In relation to his holy nature, he spent the years from 1250-54 fortifying the Crusader States in order to protect them from Islamic attackswith the majority of his efforts centered around the key crusading cities of Acre, Jaffa, and Caesarea. It was also reported that he actively engaged with the Ayyubid forces in diplomatic negotiations.When Louis returned to France, he resumed his role as king, but his mind and heart often yearned for the Middle East, rather than France. He was also often in contact with Mongol leaders (showing how far communication systems had developed during his reign).The Eighth Crusade and Louis IXs DeathThe Death of Louis IX, by Jean Fouquet, c. 1455-60. Source: BNFIt was little surprise that in 1267 Louis once again took the cross, this time with three of his sons, pledging to return to Tunis in North Africa and relieve the missionaries who had been subject to attacks there.When the crusade materialized and landed at Carthage on July 17, 1270, all did not go to plan. Disease broke out in the camp, with many men succumbing to it and dying.Louiss final battle was not against the Ayyubid Sultanate, but against one of the biggest killers of crusadersdysentery. Unfortunately, Louis lost this battle and died on August 25, 1270, aged 56 years old.He was succeeded as king of France by his eldest surviving son, Philip, who would go on to be crowned King Philip III.Louis IXs LegacyLouiss body returning to France, c. 1340. Source: British LibraryAs mentioned, Louis is the only French monarch to have been venerated as a saint, or canonized.Because he was considered the ideal Christian monarch, Pope Boniface VIII proclaimed his canonization as early as 1297, and to this day, the Catholic Church honors Louis IX with a feast day, held every year on August 25the anniversary of his death.However, Louiss legacy is also felt on a global scale, even today, with many places around the world named after him, such as St. Louis (Missouri, USA), Saint Louis (Senegal), San Luis Province (Argentina), San Luis (Batangas, Philippines), and many more. Numerous buildings (especially hospitals) have been named after Louis IX, and many works of fiction have centered on Louiss pious nature and deep faith.Final ThoughtsThe French saint King Louis IX in the stained glass of the East window of All Saints Church in Cambridge. Source: Wikimedia CommonsLouis IX was, without a doubt, one of the most iconic French monarchs of all time. Many monarchs in the Middle Ages in particular are judged by their warring nature and their successes in battle, which makes Louis even more unique, as he was not actually very successful in either of his crusading attempts.Great kingssuch as William the Lion of Scotland, Edward III of England, Henry V of England, Richard the Lionheart, and other leaders like Guy of Lusignan and Frederick Barbarossa were all renowned for their rolesand successesin war. In the Middle Ages, masculinity and warfare went hand-in-hand, and a good monarch was a strong warrior.However, Louis IXs Christianity and piety meant that he was the ideal Christian monarch, which, at the time when crusading fever was at its peak, meant that he was surely the ideal monarch to do Gods will and lead the armies of Christendom victorious over the infidel Muslim armies in the Middle East and North Africa.It is worth asking the questionwould Louis IX have had such a strong reputation as one of the greatest kings of France if he had ruled in any other period, or would he have been deemed weak?Well let you decide on that one!