A Hard Day's Knight

Louis IX – How Typical A Knight...by Jordan Crosby

The King of France, Louis IX, is typical of a knight, in that he is an ardent warrior who resembles above all the notion of chivalry, which is protecting the weak and defenceless, and fighting for the welfare of all. He is someone who shows faith, courage, loyalty and honour. Louis shows all of these characteristics by the fact that he would not let his men fight the Barons without him assisting him in battle. Louis had no intention of making peace with the Barons, rather not settling until they were repelled from the country (167). Even the way he dressed signalled a connection with the knights, wearing silk cotes (169). In one scene, Louis shows up with his entire battalion, to which Joinville remarked he “never saw a man so finely armed” (202). From head to toe, with steel helmet on his head, and German sword in his hand, Louis depicted the traditional image of a knight.

Fighting Ability

Aside from merely looking like a knight, there are many examples of Louis IX being visibly active and successful in battle, which leads to his heroic abilities as being knightly. Upon approaching Saracen lands, he leapt ahead of his fellow men, placed his lance under his arm and shield in front of him, and attempted to charge at the Saracens in front of him (185). This was a break away from the route the Saracens took, namely slaughtering people as they slept, (189) which was a cowardly way of killing someone. His fighting skills were also quite impressive, as on one occurrence, Louis was being carried away by six Turks, and managed to single-handedly kill all six by the sword (204). It was noted that had it not been for the King, the French cause would have been over before it had even gotten underway, and in essence Louis saved the day. He was claimed as having been the only King to swim across a river, defeated his enemies and captured their tents (206). His courage was undeniable, but at the same time he was showing his faith in God by not only engaging in the crusades, but by giving all recognition of his glory to the Lord.

Loyalty

Aside from being active and heroic in battles, Louis IX also showed knightly expressions of loyalty to his family and French subjects. Upon hearing that his brother was being beaten by the Saracens, the King immersed himself personally in his brother’s battle, and placed himself so far among the enemy that they set fire to his horse (212). Being able to ride a horse is also a sign of being knightly, and equestrianism is an important aspect of being a knight. The King, through his actions, was able to rescue the King of Sicily and his men, as well as driving the Turks from their camp (214). The King made it clear he would never abandon his people. Louis’ best example of showing the knightly value of loyalty is best seen in his truce with the Saracens, in which he offered himself as a prisoner (221) in order to show his dedication to the negotiations. Rather than submit one of his brothers, or any of his dedicated men, Louis gave himself up as a prisoner to prove the loyalty he showed for his people.

It was absolutely absurd for a King to place himself as a prisoner to an enemy. The King would not back down from the enemy’s threats, saying that as a prisoner, he would succumb to any torture, and would raise 400,000 livres to meet their demands. Louis was also loyal to his men who died in the crusades, as seen by the fact that he personally carried the rotten and stinking dead bodies of his former men to give them a proper burial (291), not even pausing to hold his nose from the stench, which everyone else was doing.

Religion

By the agreement, Louis would have to uphold the agreement, otherwise he would be dishonoured as a Christian, thereby denying God and his Mother (235). Religious devotion is a major aspect of chivalric code, and the two were inseparable. The crusades served the moral code of religious duty, and religious groups devoted their crusades to protect their religious beliefs. Louis would uphold the agreement as a way to show his absolute devotion to Christianity, and would rather die than risk being seen as a hack to his religion. The Saracens on the other hand, were not chivalric as they slaughtered the king’s men and his engines despite being under oath to protect them (237). Upon release, the King dedicated to any agreement with any people refused to leave unless his men paid the 200,000 livres to the Saracens, and the extra 10,000 that was taken illegitimately. This showed his absolutely knightly devotion to God and the religious cause of the crusades.

Even in the throes of defeat, Louis would not abandon his knightly deeds of honour and courage. The great and wise men of France were urging Louis to go home, which he refused to do claiming that he came for the religious mission of restoring Jerusalem to Christianity, and would not leave until he was successful (252). This was problematic for him, because as the greatest Christian king, what would people think if he would be unable to deliver the most holies of places from the enemies at hand, but had merely made a pilgrimage into foreign lands. Once he finally agreed to go home, Louis’ boat, carrying his family and friends reached turbulence, and his men told the King to disembark in order to save his life. Again showing the knightly values of chivalry and loyalty refused to place himself ahead of his men saying “I would rather place my own person, my wife and children at risk in God’s hands than that I should do much harm to so great a number of people as there are on board” (303). Louis is not only showing devotion to his loyal men, but is also showing his faith in God.

Back Home
Back at home, Louis’ reforms also followed the knightly chivalric code of providing for the weak and poor. On his return, every day he fed his poor people and gave them money after the meal (313). He also gave money and gifts to churches (showing his love to God) to hospitals and to poor people (319). Not only that but in an act of good graciousness, he ceded back to England lands he personally took from them in an effort to establish peace. Right up until his death, Louis harboured the chivalric virtues of being courageous, loyal and faithful as in 1270 he attempted to lift up the cross again, and launch another crusade. Despite his poor health, he was the one brave and dedicated enough to lift up the cross when nobody else would.
Criticisms

A criticism of Louis IX from Joinville, which repudiated the chivalric rule of knights, is how the King broke with customs relating to money. Louis was criticized by Joinville for his neglect of putting his own money to use as a way of sending more men to the cause (250). It was argued that if he would donate his own money, more relief and support would eagerly come and fight for the crusades. Louis was acting greedily, and not in the general concern for his people and his mission. Another criticism of Louis related to one of his sergeants, the Glutton, who laid his hands on one of the knights from Joinville’s battalion. Louis, not acting in good morale, refused to originally act on the incident, seeing it as irrelevant, thereby showing disloyalty to his men (271).