Louis was confident that his violence against Islam would earn him treasures in heaven
The legacy of Louis IX must hold all of that complexity, all of his humanity – as saint and monster
Saint and sinner? Louis IX depicted in an illuminated manuscript from the 13th century. (The background image shows the stained glass of Sainte-Chapelle, his private chapel.) Some eight centuries after his birth, the French king’s reputation is more contested than ever
ALAMY/DREAMSTIME