The Contribution Of Louis Viii To The Advancement Of Capetian France

'En aout, à Paris, la reine de France Elisabeth, fille du comte de Hainaut, mit au monde un fils nommé Louis, dont la naissance causa une grande allégresse en France et en Hainaut.' Louis, who was to reign as Louis VIII from the fourteenth of July 1223 until his death on the eighth of November 1226, was succeeded in turn by his son, Louis IX, the future Saint-Louis. Between two of the most powerful and famous kings of France, Louis VIII was thus quickly forgotten in the histories, and nowadays receiving only a few pages in the studies on the dynasty; an attitude as old as the sixteenth century when this unjustly forgotten king was remembered only as the father of Saint-Louis.

The first half of the thirteenth century was crucial for the kingdom of France and the Capetian dynasty. The rise of the Angevins in England and their territorial expansion on the continent, coupled with the powerful Germanic Empire, as well as the numerous powerful and near independent houses all around what is now modern France during the eleventh and twelfth centuries, threatened the survival of the French Crown. By 1180 however, Louis VII had started a process of expansion, which was continued in great length and with positive results by his son, Philip Augustus. During his long reign (1179/80-1223), Philip was to not only increase Capetian influence over his neighbours but also expand the Royal demesne to the point where the revenues of the kingdom augmented drastically by the time of his death. Philip's grandson, Louis IX (1226/1237-1271) was to further expand on these conquests and make a name for himself in the histories by his fervent piety and devotion to the Crusades.

The reign of Louis VIII thus lies in between. Despite its shortness - what one author nicknamed 'Louis's twelve-hundred days' - it would seem unfair to dismiss his time on the throne as insignificant. His rule indeed became a pedestal from which his wife Blanche de Castille, and his son, Louis IX were to rise, but Louis's reign was more crucial to the Capetian dynasty than previously suggested. The sources relating directly to Louis are sparse, and in many occasions, are to be found in documents describing other matters. This is especially true for the years he spent as prince of France. The thirst for power of Philip meant that Louis was able to act on his own only in rare occasions - the conquest of England in 1216 is one example. The shortness of Louis's reign also means that not many contemporary documents can be found. On the other hand, it does not mean that there is a lack of information for assessing Louis's role at the time of his father and during his own reign. Charles Petit-Dutaillis, in his Etude sur la vie et le règne de Louis VIII 1187-1226 (1894) establishes a clear descri ption of the primary sources available for Louis's life. While some of them were unusable - for reasons of condition, accessibility, or language - this study nonetheless tried to use most of these to answer the question addressed below.

The aim of this dissertation is to assess the extent to which Louis's contribution to the advancement of Capetian France is accurate. At the same time, it will try to bring Louis VIII back into light. This essay will be divided into five themes. First of all a brief overview of the first decade of Philip's reign, with a descri ption of the kingdom at the time is necessary to understand the events concerning Louis better. Furthermore, Louis's character, knighting and the debate which surrounds the ceremony is discussed in order to highlight the differences between father and son.

Secondly, the study of the conflict with Flanders will be looked at. Engulfed for the most part by Philip's reign, the events in Flanders had a significant impact on Louis. Philip's desire to capitalise on his marriage to the niece of the count of Flanders and followed by his will to free himself from the power of his entourage nearly deprived the young prince of his heritage: the county of Artois. During Louis's own reign, Flanders remained relatively independent, and it is only after a curious event that the king was able to fully encompass the county of Flanders into Royal control.

Following this, the long conflict between England and France will be discussed. Both Philip and Louis were actively involved in this war, and strived to achieve a similar goal: the conquest of all English-held lands on the continent. From the time of his crowning until his death, Philip was entangled in rivalries against Henry II, Richard, and John, which were in the end, more fructuous for the Capetians than for the Plantagenêts. Two invasions of England were planned, one of them led by Louis. During Louis's own reign, a change can on the other hand be observed. The conflict between the two crowns, while remaining active, became less important as Louis's ambitions were gradually turning towards the south.

It is necessary to look into the relations between the Crown of France and the papacy to understand the events regarding the Albigensian Crusade in the fourth part. The desire of both kings to expand their powers and influences over their kingdom especially over all lay matters clashed with Innocent and Honorius's goals to bring back the influence of the Church and Saint-Peter to its former glory. The reign of the two kings is riddled with intrigue coming from both sides, and the launch of the Albigensian Crusade was to become the scene for Louis's major conquest.

In the fifth chapter, the Albigensian Crusade (1209-1229) will be analysed with regards to the involvement of the Capetians. Ultimately, the Crusade brought the county of Toulouse and a great part of the Languedoc into Capetian hands. There was little response from the Capetians in the first seventeen years of the conflict, Philip never shifted his ambitions to the south and was contempt in dealing with England on his western boarders. In contrast, Louis was more involved than his father. His two expeditions in 1215 and 1219 have achieved relatively little, as opposed to his Crusade of 1226 which eventually brought about the attachment of Toulouse to the Royal demesne. The siege of Avignon, only military action during the king's march, was to have significant impacts not only on the Languedoc, but also the county of Provence, and the Empire.

The analysis of these themes will provide a strong position in order to answer the question of Louis's influence on the expansion of his dynasty. This study will have showed that while shadowed between two great kings, Louis VIII proved to be as important if not more, to the advancement of Capetian France.