Saint Louis IX possessed the qualities of a great monarch, of a hero and of a saint. To his wisdom in governing he added the art of handling peace and war; two great virtues. In his actions, ambition played no role; this saint's only search was for the glory of God and the well-being of his people. Even though the two crusades he led were failures, it is a fact that Saint Louis was one of the bravest men of his time, a perfect example of the Medieval Knight who was fearless and full of honor. Born in Poise on April 25, 1214, he was the son of France's Louis VIII. When he was eight his grand-father Philip Augustus died and his father succeeded to the throne. It was Blanca, his mother's virtues, that gave Louis his magnificent education. As a child he would hear from her often: "I love you as much as a loving mother can love her son, but I would rather see you fall dead at my feet than know you had committed a capital sin". Louis would never forget this lesson. His biographer and friend, Mr. Joinville said the king asked him once: "What is God?". Joinville answered "something so good that nothing can be better than he." "Well said" replied the king, "But tell me; would you rather become a leper before committing a capital sin?" and Joinville who, supposedly, had never told a lie, answered: "You would rather commit thirty capital sins before becoming a leper". Later King Louis called him aside and explained the answer had been honorable but wrong.
Louis VIII died on November 7, 1226; Saint Louis was only 11, luckily his mother assumed the regency of the throne. During the King's childhood the barons had dedicated themselves to disrupting the reign's order; but Blanca de Castilla, who made good alliances, defeated them with valor and diligence in the battlefield and made them remain peaceful. When Saint Louis obtained victories he rejoiced above all because it meant peace for his people. He was forgiving even with the rebels and since he had never looked for vengeance, nor ambitioned conquest, he was always willing to reach an agreement. Few men have loved the church and honored its ministers as much as Saint Louis. During disputes he always listened to both sides. He enjoyed talking with priests and religious men and frequently invited them to the palace. Although he always showed himself as a merry man, on one occasion that a fryer began speaking too seriously at the table the king changed the conversation arguing: "Everything has its time". When he appointed new knights great feasts were given, but he was able to ban from his reign informal, obscene or mundane exaggerations. Joinville says: "I lived more than twenty years in the kings company and I never heard him swear to God, the Virgin or saints. Nor did I hear him speak the devil's name, except when he was reading out loud or when he discussed what he'd just read about him. A Dominican fryer confirmed never hearing him speak poorly of anyone. Louis refused to condemn Hugo de la Marche to death, even though he had joined forces with his father, arguing "a son can never disobey his father".
At 19, Saint Louis married Margarita, Count of Provenza's daughter. God blessed the kings happy marriage with 5 sons and 6 daughters and their descendants occupied France's throne until January 21, 1793; the day in which Edgeworth said to Louis XVI, moments before his decapitation: "Son of Saint Louis fly to the sky."
In 1235, Louis IX, took charge of his reign never lacking his mother's respect, whose advise he always took. In 1239, Balduine II, Latin Emperor of Constantinople, gave Saint Louis "The Crown of Thorns", thanking him for his generosity in aiding the Christians of Palestine and other eastern countries. The crown was then in the hands of the Venetians as deposit for a