The Radical View Of Louis Reform
enquêteurs), and set a new series of strict regulations on local governmental officials. Not only was this a hugely impactful piece of reform, it would push Louis’ image as the moral leader of the Franks just as his deeds on crusade had. However, William Chester Jordan takes the more radical view of Louis’ reformation policy, claiming “Louis IX instituted a genuinely repressive regime” . Louis implemented an incredibly narrow moral standard to which the whole kingdom was subject, leaving few exceptions even in royal offices. Behaviour that the King did not agree with -singing profane songs, blaspheming, or gambling for example – would be stigmatized and suppressed using royal powers wherever possible. This is a view is taken by many historians,
as the weight of evidence showing Louis’ rigorous policies is strong – just as strong as his drive to stay in the Holy Land and carry out his pilgrim vows. It is through Louis’ reformations in the ‘great ordinance’ that we see his crusading nature imprint clearly onto his style of governance – which is arguably why his legacy became so much more significant whilst he was away from the Eastern theatre. His journey to the Holy Land was an immense personal mission: one that only ended when his country was in such great peril after his mother Blanche of Castile’s death in 1252. Yet it was Blanche’s strong regency that gave her son the confidence to invest so much time, money and devotion into the Holy Land: would it be surprising if Louis would want to emulate his mother’s moral standard by fiercely upholding such draconian reforms? As Louis wrote in a letter to his son Phillip III: “Maintain the good customs of your realm, and put down the bad ones.”
After recounting just some examples of the impact of Louis IX in both the Holy Land and at home in France, we may begin to judge the significance of his legacy. Firstly, we looked at the military, personal and cultural legacy of Louis in the Levant: knowing that the King directed no profitable military expeditions during his 4 year stay immediately led us to question the significance of his time there. However we proved that the King aimed at ‘keeping the status quo’ and otherwise building up the cultural and diplomatic strength of the Latin States, rather than taking an aggressive
as the weight of evidence showing Louis’ rigorous policies is strong – just as strong as his drive to stay in the Holy Land and carry out his pilgrim vows. It is through Louis’ reformations in the ‘great ordinance’ that we see his crusading nature imprint clearly onto his style of governance – which is arguably why his legacy became so much more significant whilst he was away from the Eastern theatre. His journey to the Holy Land was an immense personal mission: one that only ended when his country was in such great peril after his mother Blanche of Castile’s death in 1252. Yet it was Blanche’s strong regency that gave her son the confidence to invest so much time, money and devotion into the Holy Land: would it be surprising if Louis would want to emulate his mother’s moral standard by fiercely upholding such draconian reforms? As Louis wrote in a letter to his son Phillip III: “Maintain the good customs of your realm, and put down the bad ones.”
After recounting just some examples of the impact of Louis IX in both the Holy Land and at home in France, we may begin to judge the significance of his legacy. Firstly, we looked at the military, personal and cultural legacy of Louis in the Levant: knowing that the King directed no profitable military expeditions during his 4 year stay immediately led us to question the significance of his time there. However we proved that the King aimed at ‘keeping the status quo’ and otherwise building up the cultural and diplomatic strength of the Latin States, rather than taking an aggressive