obtained; and such a ruler rose
in the person of Louis IX., who ascended the throne in 1226.

His father, Louis VIII., was a man of weak character, whose reign was
chiefly signalized by the horrible persecution of the Protestant
Albigenses of Provence, which, under the sanction of Innocent III., and
later Popes, had been carried on by Simon de Montfort and other
fanatics, since 1209. Louis himself had died of fever when about to
commence the siege of Toulouse.

The Queen Dowager, Blanche, of Castile, was a woman of great energy, and
during the minority of her son she bravely contested her claims to the
regency of the kingdom against those of Philip, her husband's brother,
whom Henry III., of England, supported. She appealed, not in vain, to
the gratitude of the metropolis, which the Capetian kings had
befriended; and at her call a large force of citizens joined her. With
their aid she defeated Philip and other nobles, who opposed her son's
coronation, and by two treaties, in 1229 and 1231, she both extended the
limits of her kingdom and put an end to civil war. Over Louis, who was
but eleven years old when his father died, she exercised a somewhat
rigorous, but a holy and prudent discipline, to which he was much
indebted for strengthening his moral and mental constitution. He was
educated at the Abbey of Royaumont by Vincent de Beauvais, and though
not remarkable for talents, possessed considerable decision of
character, and a large share of personal courage. It is, however, by the
piety, purity, and benevolence of his soul that he stands forth so
prominently in the history of Europe. The year of his coronation all the
jails of the kingdom were thrown open by the royal command. A nature
more truly loving and lovable has rarely been bestowed on any member of
the human family. Yet, with all these paramount excellences, his life
presents a tragedy--the fatal consequences of unreasoning faith. All his
errors--we cannot justly call them faults--proceeded from this prolific
source. Before recording these, it will be gratifying to point out the
happier results of those noble and wise qualities which have consecrated
his name.

After the treaty of 1231, France remained at peace for some years,
during which time Louis married Margaret of Provence, a princess only
inferior in worth to himself. Soon after attaining his majority he was
called upon to contend with the Count of Brittany and other nobles who
resisted his authority.