Louis IX ascends the French throne as a boy

1226

Upon the death of his father Louis VIII, the twelve-year-old prince inherited the Capetian crown under the sharp regency of his mother Blanche of Castile. He would rule for forty-four years, build the Sainte-Chapelle, and die on crusade, earning the rare title Saint. Blanche governed France with an iron hand during his minority, crushing baronial revolts and securing the realm for her son.