The Monarchical Roles Of Louis IX

France before Louis IX’s rule had the conditions to further strengthen the monarchy after several generations of caper monarchy.Politically,Philip II and Louis VIII defeated most of the nobles who rebelled against the king and greatly improved the king’s prestige;Economically,France’s economy is booming and its cities are developing rapidly.Prosperous cities have become an important supporting force for the strengthening of kingship;Culturally,the public opinion calling for further kingship is rampant.The king is the source of law,which is gradually becoming the consensus of the society.Under the influence of family members,Louis IX ruled by playing an excellent medieval monarch in order to further strengthen the king’s power.As the "holy king",Louis IX was committed to maintaining justice.In the process of playing the "holy king",the judicial privilege of the nobility was weakened.On the contrary,the king became the only source of law and the supreme judge.In order to crack down on the judicial privileges of the nobility,Louis IX hired special personnel to sort out and modify the customary law and implement the principles of Roman law.These sorted and compiled laws not only became a weapon against the nobility,but also provided a source of legitimacy for the principle of "what the king wants is law",making the king truly become the "father of law".These close officials of the King became the right assistants of Louis’ s rule,and those "newcomers" who came from the church and citizens became a powerful weapon for the king to check and balance the nobility.After Louis IX played the "holy king",the king was able to expand his power from the foundation.As the "king of war",Louis IX pursues the principle of "just war" and is committed to peace building.In the aspect of secular war,Louis boldly suppressed the rebellious nobles,and severely punished the nobles who did not fulfill their military obligations to maintain their authority by force;Louis’ s kindness to the enemy after the war made the rebels willingly submit to the king.Louis IX’s courage and kindness created a long-term "world peace" for France.In terms of religious war,Louis launched two crusades to defend Jerusalem and preach to the Muslim world.Although both Crusades ended in failure,Louis IX’s efforts to create "eschatological peace" made him unanimously praised by the religious and secular circles of the rabbinic world,The kingdom of France and the royal power of France also added sacred luster,enabling it to get rid of the shackles of the Holy Roman Empire and the Pope,and finally transform into a nation-state in a modern sense.As the "king of enlightenment",Louis IX was committed to "benefiting the people" and making the subjects return to the "way of God".In the process of educating his subjects,Louis was sometimes a patient persuader,setting an example by his words and deeds,persuading his subjects to take Christian law and morality as the yardstick of life,and providing help to those non Catholics who are willing to convert to Catholicism,so that they can adapt to the Catholic society as soon as possible;Sometimes he is a severe Punisher,punishing those subjects who don’t listen to advice and violate their moral bottom line.In order to punish prisoners and warn others,Louis IX did not hesitate to torture prisoners and carry out public punishment.In the process of playing the "king of enlightenment",kingship has gradually penetrated into the bottom of society.As the king regulated the life of every subject,kingship became a part of every subject’s daily life and became ubiquitous.Through Louis IX’s successful performance of the three monarchical roles,the French king won the support of more subjects and strengthened the king’s power.The king has become the source and criterion of law,and the king of France has become the most devout Christian king.Many political heritages left by Louis IX for France have provided legitimacy basis and laid a solid foundation for the further development of French kingship.However,some negative effects,such as restricting the free movement of farmers,have limited the social transformation of France,which not only led to the solidification of French society,but also laid the groundwork for the collapse of French monarchy.