Saint Louis: Founder of Modern France

How a medieval king turned France into a modern nation-state.

Louis IX, better known as Saint Louis, was the King of medieval France. By every measure, he was a medieval man, steeped in medieval ideals. But it may be surprising learn that this famous French monarch paved an extraordinary transition from feudalism into modern statecraft. 

Through his forward-looking reforms, King Louis brought medieval France to its economic and political zenith, establishing justice and the rule of law in European Christendom. 

The Crusades

At the end of the 11th century, the First Crusade had seen the creation of a Latin kingdom in the Middle East. The conquest of Jerusalem was undertaken by Godfrey of Bouillon. 

To organize a Crusade, you needed several things. First, you needed the Pope’s approval. At times, a Crusade would be organized by the Pope himself. The Crusades had both political and religious undertones. It was not only a pilgrimage to the Holy City, but also a military campaign. 

During the Third Crusade, King Richard the Lionheart managed to save the Crusader states from Saladin. But the English warrior-king was unable to save Jerusalem. A complex situation was brewing in the Middle East. Despite both being Christian, the Franks came into conflict with the Byzantines, and Constantinople fell for the first time. 

Louis’ France

The France of King Louis IX was one of Christendom’s most vibrant and bustling centers. It boasted of a population of 10 million. This was at a time when the entire population of Europe was 60 million. Peasants became attracted by cities, resulting in urbanization. The population of Paris swelled to at least 100,000 inhabitants. By the end of Louis’ reign, that number boomed to 150,000 people. 

Many elements of French society began to flourish under Louis’ leadership. Universities sprung up. The famous Sorbonne was created to allow poor people to study theology and literature. Gothic architecture, such as the Notre Dame Cathedral at Reims, became a national style of art. The bourgeoise class flourished under Louis’ reign. Business boomed. Merchants and artisans organized into an early form of corporations. Local militias were organized for security. The King established gold as a national currency. 

Philip II

To understand the creation of the French state, which flourished under King Louis IX’s reign, one must first began with his grandfather: Philip II. 

Philip II, also known as Philip Augustus, was the King of France from 1180 to 1223. Philip’s predecessors had been known as the Kings of the Franks. But Philip was the first monarch to style himself as the King of France. In Latin, this is Rex Francie. 

The son of King Louis VII and his third wife, Adela of Champagne, he was originally nicknamed Dieudonné, French for “God-given,” because he was the first son to be born late in his father’s life. He was given the epithet of Augustus by the chronicler Rigord, because he expanded the crown lands of France so much. 

Albigensian Crusade

In 1208, Pope Innocent III called for a crusade against a heretical group, called the Albigensians or Cathars. The conflict with the Cathars was not purely a theological one. While dogmatic Christianity has always been a source of unnecessary hatred and strife, it was really a war between the French monarchy against local nobilities. The Cathars largely consisted of lower-class peasants, who complained about the ostentatious wealth of the Church. 

Although King Philip gave no support the crusade, he did not prevent his nobles from joining it. The Albigensian Crusade ended with the conquest of southern France by the French Crown. This would then be inherited by Philip’s son, Louis VIII. Saint Louis, Philip’s grandson, would also benefit. 

The French state

King Philip introduced important developments in French education and infrastructure. Roads were paved. A central market was built, called Les Halles. Construction began on Notre Dame in 1163. He built a fortress that would eventually evolve into the famous Louvre Museum. A generous patron of education, King Philip chartered the University of Paris in 1200. Under Philip’s reign, Paris became the first city in European Christendom to employ professional teachers. This is the French Kingdom that was inherited by Saint Louis. 

As King of France, Louis enacted a number of ground-breaking reforms. He reformed France’s laws, introducing a royal system of justice that enabled petitioners to appeal directly to the Crown. Social discrimination was forbidden. Bribes and corruption were curtailed. He abolished trials by ordeal, an ancient practice that involved torture. The benign French King introduced the legal concept of the presumption of innocence into criminal proceedings. To enforce these new laws, Louis established new offices, called provosts and bailiffs. 

Saint Louis’ reforms were absolutely ground-breaking. They formed something of an early constitution, governing France as a modern nation-state. It was far more than an administrative change; it was an entire paradigm shift. 

Religious despotism

Being the medieval Catholic that he was, King Louis had an unsavory moralizing quality. Under his reign, the Christian monarch forbade blasphemy, which was criminalized by law. Those found guilty had their tongues cut out, in truly Mafia fashion. During the Age of Faith, there was no secularism in political affairs. There was no freedom of thought or conscience. Heretics were severely punished. Anyone who dared to deviate from the dogmas of the Church was tortured and murdered. 

Under Saint Louis, Jews were subjected to discrimination in France. After the Disputation of Paris, the Talmud was publicly burned as an act of contempt toward the Jewish religion. Jews were forced to wear a gold symbol, which was done to distinguish them from Christians. However, unlike in Nazi Germany, this measure was intended to protect the Jews from mob Christian violence. But Louis IX was no friend to the Jews. Inspired by Jew hatred, plus the neurotic scruples of Catholicism, the French King prohibited the charging of interest—which was referred to as the sin of usury. This religious crackdown had devastating consequences for France’s economy going into the 14th century. 

Holy war

Religious reforms under Saint Louis’ reign had far-reaching efforts for medieval Christendom. With the rise of preachy mendicant orders, it transformed the very idea of holy war. European Christians came to believe in a new Crusader ideology, which regarded worldly warfare as having spiritual significance. 

The Crusades were fought with an explicitly evangelical purpose, even if the real motives were more materialistic in nature. To the medieval Christians, they were seen not as wars of conquest, but of conversion. The goal was to impose Christianity on the Muslim peoples; it was not just a struggle over territory and resources. Louis’ Crusade in Tunis was done with the explicit intention of converting the Sultan to Christianity. 

Moralism

Saint Louis’ France was infected by the morbid moralism of medieval Catholicism. Games of chance and money were outlawed. Prostitutes were cast out from the cities of France, and forced into wooden brothels. 

But the saintly monarch’s moralism had a profoundly benevolent influence as well. The French King was a generous sponsor of charity and public works, which were essential stepping stones toward the creation of a modern nation-state.  New mendicant orders, such as the Dominicans and Franciscans, transformed the peasantry of France into a cohesive community, a shared public and political body. These holy orders were characterized by their charity toward the poor. Many of them were beggars, relying on the charity of others for their sustenance. King Louis humbly allowed beggars to dine at his royal table. He took seriously the moral imperative to care for the widow and the orphan. 

King Louis’ reign represented a moralization of both political and daily life, which had enormous ramifications for modern European statecraft. Under his new laws, bishops were now subjected to the same moral standards as everyone else. Louis’ laws were something of a modern constitution, but with a medieval ideology. The refined, advanced legal and social structure of Louis’ France was a revolutionary achievement. His much-celebrated reign served as an unlikely foundation for modern nationalism. 

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