Table of contents:
Video: The main secret of the most powerful crusader king: is it true that Saint Louis died of scurvy
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Louis IX, also called Saint Louis, is recognized as the most powerful king of his time in Europe. He selflessly did everything to ensure that peace and justice would prevail. Louis IX saw his royal power not as an opportunity to conquer others, to use it for personal enrichment or to satisfy his vanity. The king believed that his duty was to serve the Church and lead his people to eternal salvation. Why is the death of the holy king considered mysterious? And what discovery did scientists make in the summer of 2019?
Biography of Louis IX
Louis IX was king of France from 1226 to 1270. He is considered one of the greatest French kings. Born April 25, 1214, was the eldest of 12 children of Louis VIII and Blanca of Castile. Louis IX was a tall, handsome, fair-haired and energetic prince. His deeply religious mother raised her son as a Christian believer. It is not surprising that he subsequently applied Christian principles both in his public activities and in his personal life. Louis was only 12 years old when he became king. His Spanish mother, who had lived in France since the age of 12, was regent until Louis IX took over at the age of 21.
The main achievements of the king
- Louis IX created a moral code that guided his officials. - Saint Louis forbade prostitution, gambling, blasphemy and dueling. - In an era when the value of minting was very different, he issued gold and silver coins that helped establish a uniform minting throughout the kingdom - He made two crusades - His charity was as widely known as his sense of justice. He founded abbeys, monasteries, hospitals and almshouses for the poor.
His efforts to ensure justice and to be accessible to all made Louis widely known not only in his own country. He was often approached by foreign kings and princes to resolve international disputes. For example, Louis was called in 1264 to resolve a dispute between Henry III of England and his barons. Thus, his just and successful political activities made him the most powerful king in Western Europe.
Crusades
As mentioned above, Saint Louis made two crusades. In 1244, he decided to lead a crusade to reclaim Jerusalem. Louis's campaign is considered the most organized and financed of all the crusades. His plan was to inflict such damage on Egypt that he himself ceded Jerusalem to him.
On June 5, 1249, the king's army captured Damietta the day after the landing in Egypt. But the brother of Louis IX, Robert Artois, persuaded him to go to Cairo, and not to Alexandria. This was an insidious mistake. Louis IX's army of 15,000 was trapped. The Nile supplies were cut off, and his army was weakened by death and disease. Therefore, Louis had to abandon Damietta. On the way, Louis and his army were captured and detained for ransom. After his release, Louis spent 4 years in Palestine, where he built fortifications and tried to save the Kingdom of Jerusalem. But he was forced to return to France in 1254.
The failure of the first crusade prompted Louis to try again. The original plan of the trip was aimed at an attack on Tunisia by Louis' brother Charles of Anjou, king of Sicily. About 10,000 crusaders landed in July 1270. However, this cross was not crowned with success. Just 2 months later, Louis fell ill and died. Charles of Anjou made a profitable peace and returned with the remains of his beloved king, whom all Europe mourned. He was canonized by Pope Boniface VIII in 1297.
Mysterious cause of death
Just a year ago, experts made an amazing discovery. They claim that a French crusader died of scurvy. The reason could be that he refused to eat local cuisine in Africa. The king was on an unbalanced diet, which led to a vitamin C deficiency. It was previously believed that the king died of the plague. However, according to the researchers, rumors of death from the plague are greatly exaggerated. According to medical experts, the French crusader king could have died from scurvy, or at least from complications associated with diet. Thus, Louis IX made the mistake of many colonial invaders by not eating local food.
To conduct these studies, experts used a fragment of the king's jaw stored in Notre Dame Cathedral. It showed signs of damage to the gums and jaw, corresponding to the devastating effects of scurvy. By the way, Saint Louis's crusade to Tunisia - a land rich in citrus fruits and vegetables that would help him prevent this disease - was his last attempt to return the Holy Land to Christians.
Recommended:
From Stalin to Putin: Joseph Kobzon, the main voice of the Soviet stage and a symbol of the era, died
In a Moscow hospital at the age of 80, the singer and State Duma deputy Joseph Kobzon, the main voice of the Soviet stage and a symbol of the era, died. For 60 years of his career, Kobzon sang about 3000 songs. He was in great demand! Not a single festive concert went without his participation, his voice was constantly heard on the radio and on television. And also performances in "hot spots", social and teaching activities. On August 30, 2018, Joseph Davydovich passed away
How King Hammurabi turned Babylon into the most powerful state of the ancient world
At the meeting place of the great rivers Tigris and Euphrates, the great ancient city of Babylon once stood. A small territorial community grew into an incredibly powerful Babylonian kingdom. Babylon was repeatedly raided and destroyed, it ceased to exist in the 2nd century, but the glory of this great state is still alive today. Babylon owes its greatness in almost everything to the most famous of its kings - Hammurabi. This man managed to turn Babylon into the most important economic and ku
The main romantic stories of the most loving king of Macedonia: How the captives of Alexander I became his wives
Alexander the Great is one of the most romantic heroes in Western history, where he is described as a beautiful young man with fluttering curls, galloping on his faithful horse Bucephalus to meet new battles and adventures. There are many legends about him. The most famous is how he dealt with the Gordian knot. In love affairs, he also succeeded. He had three wives, many concubines and two young lovers
The last Louis, baby False Dmitry, the Orthodox son-in-law of the French king: How children died in an adult struggle for power
The struggle for power has never spared children. In the eyes of their parents' political opponents, girls and boys were simply an obstacle to power or a means that could be used by enemies. At best, princes and princesses, princes and princesses, became fugitives who lost their homeland, like the Iranian or Greek dynasties. But often the cases were far worse; here are just three of them
The incomprehensible Gogol: is it true that the author of Dead Souls died of poisoning?
Gogol is the most mysterious and mystical figure in the pantheon of Russian classics. Woven from contradictions, he amazed everyone with his genius in the field of literature and oddities in everyday life