Rei e santo: intencionalidade por trás da representação de Luís IX em Histoire de Saint Louis - século XIII e XIV

Abstract

This work consists of an analysis of the book Histoire de Saint Louis, written by Jean de Joinville between 1306 and 1309, which portrays the author's journey alongside the French king Louis IX (1214-1270) in the 7th Crusade (1248-1254) and his return to France. Louis IX was king of France between 1226 and 1270. In 1248 he left for the East commanding the 7th Crusade. Upon his return in 1254, he sought to reform various aspects of the kingdom, aiming to ensure that his subjects maintained to Christian values. In 1270 he decided to return on a new crusade (8th Crusade). Louis IX died in Tunis on August 25, 1270, after contracting dysentery. In 1297 the French king was canonized by Pope Boniface VIII, during the reign of Philip IV (1285-1314). The source used in this work was commissioned by Joan of Navarre (1273-1305) shortly before her death. Because of this, the author delivered the completed work to the heir to the French throne. In this book, the author highlights the main teachings of the French king during the period they were close, as well as moments in which Louis IX demonstrated himself to be a good Christian and a good king. This book is considered a mirror for princes, as it is intended for future kings to emulate the conduct highlighted in the book. Therefore, the objective of this work is to understand the intention behind the writing of the Histoire de Saint Louis and the creation of a representation of Louis IX as a model of a saintly king. The central hypothesis is that the historical context the author experiences while writing the work influences their writing. Thus, the intentionality permeates the conflicts experienced between France and the papacy at the beginning of the 14th century. The methodology employed involves the History of Representations, with the main work used being the book "Cultural History: Between Practices and Representations" by Roger Chartier. Furthermore, Critical History was also applied, based on Marc Bloch's work "The Historian’s Craft”. Over the course of two chapters, this work presents the source and its author, the life of Louis IX, and discusses the methodology used. In addition, it presents the historical context in which the work was written, it analyzes and discusses excerpts from the source, seeking to achieve the stated objectives.