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He was taught by his mother, Queen Blanche. To quote:
When young Louis inherited the French crown at the age of twelve upon Louis VIII’s premature death, he also inherited a royal domain that was greatly expanded by his grandfather, Philip Augustus….
The virtue of any young man is strengthened by grace achieved through prayer and obedience to his duties, but Saint Louis had the additional advantage of a strong-willed, pious mother who created the proper ambiance for spiritual and intellectual improvement. This influence was such that his sister Isabella also devoted her life to God and has been beatified. Blanche of Castile in an often-repeated remark told her son that she would rather see him die than commit one mortal sin. Although Louis from an early age practiced many devotions including the recitation of the Divine Office and assisting at least two Masses a day, he never neglected the affairs of state to which he applied himself vigorously, for he regarded his kingly duties as part of his Christian vocation.
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3 comments:
St. Louis was one of the models of Leopold III of Belgium. (Few would think it, though, since Leopold's had such bad press since WW2).
Saint Louis in some ways reminds me of King Louis XVI; they were virtuous and good Christian monarchs. I contrast their lives with Louis XIV; one loses track of the numbers of mistresses and the wars that only made the lives of ordinary French People that more difficult.
Louis XVI did take after St. Louis, except that St. Louis strikes me as having been a fiercer type (in a good way; perhaps Louis XVI could have used a bit more fierceness, with all due respect).
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