Editing Louis IX of France (section)

== Minority (1226–1234) ==
Louis was 12 years old when his father died on 8 November 1226. He was crowned king on 29 November 1226 at [[Reims Cathedral]], officiated by the [[bishop of Soissons]].{{sfn|Hanley|2016|pp=234–235}} His mother, Blanche, ruled France as [[regent]] during his minority.<ref name="Encarta-Louis">{{cite encyclopedia|title=Louis IX|encyclopedia=Encarta|publisher=Microsoft Corporation|year=2008}}</ref> Louis's mother instilled in him her devout Christianity. She is once recorded to have said:<ref name=SHMI>{{cite book|author=Fr. Paolo O. Pirlo, SHMI|title=My First Book of Saints|year=1997|publisher=Sons of Holy Mary Immaculate – Quality Catholic Publications|isbn=971-91595-4-5|pages=193–194|chapter=St. Louis}}</ref>

{{blockquote|I love you, my dear son, as much as a mother can love her child; but I would rather see you dead at my feet than that you should ever commit a mortal sin.}}

His younger brother [[Charles I of Sicily]] (1227–85) was created [[count of Anjou]], thus founding the [[Capetian Angevin]] dynasty.

In 1229, when Louis was 15, his mother ended the [[Albigensian Crusade]] by signing an agreement with [[Raymond VII of Toulouse]]. [[Raymond VI of Toulouse]] had been suspected of ordering the assassination of [[Pierre de Castelnau]], a Roman Catholic preacher who attempted to convert the [[Cathars]].{{sfn|Sumption|1978|p=15}}

On 27 May 1234, Louis married [[Margaret of Provence]] (1221–1295); she was crowned in the cathedral of Sens the next day.{{sfn|Richard|1983|p=64}} Margaret was the sister of [[Eleanor of Provence]], who later married [[Henry III of England]]. The new queen's religious zeal made her a well-suited partner for the king, and they are attested to have gotten along well, enjoying riding together, reading, and listening to music. His closeness to Margaret aroused jealousy in his mother, who tried to keep the couple apart as much as she could.{{sfn|Richard|1983|p=65}}

While his contemporaries viewed his reign as co-rule between the king and his mother, historians generally believe Louis began ruling personally in 1234, with his mother assuming a more advisory role.<ref name=goyau>{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09368a.htm|title=Goyau, Georges. 'St. Louis IX.' ''The Catholic Encyclopedia.'' Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company|orig-year=1910|year=2013|access-date=29 September 2014}}</ref> She continued to have a strong influence on the king until her death in 1252.<ref name="Encarta-Louis" />{{sfn|Shadis|2010|pp=17–19}}