Historical Figures

Queen Marguerite of Provence, wife of Saint Louis

We are on May 27, 1234 in the cathedral of Sens. Archbishop Gautier Cornut prepares to officiate the royal wedding between Louis IX, better known as Saint Louis, and Marguerite de Provence. This barely teenage girl is about to become a royal wife and queen of France . Here is the portrait of Marguerite de Provence , an illustrious woman whose destiny was turned upside down by one of the greatest kings of France, Saint Louis.

A childhood on the roads of Provence

Raimond-Bérenger de Provence, Count of Provence and Forcalquier married on June 5, 1219 Béatrice de Savoie, a princess from the House of Savoy. Shortly after the wedding, Marguerite de Provence was born to the delight of her parents. His date of birth is not known with certainty , although it is highly probable that Marguerite de Provence was born in the year 1221.

Like her mother, Marguerite reveals with age an incredible beauty and a real intelligence. It must be said that her education is worthy of a girl of her rank. With her younger sisters; Eléonore, Sancie and Béatrice; Marguerite de Provence learns all the basics to become a respected noble.

Apart from her education, Marguerite de Provence's childhood was rocked by many trips. She very regularly accompanies her father on the roads of Provence. Claims to the title of Count of Provence are numerous, and Raimond-Bérenger regularly faces rivalries . To maintain his title of count of Provence, he regularly travels through the county of Provence in order to reunite it and ease all tensions. This life of itinerancy gave Marguerite de Provence a taste of her future life as Queen of France and royal wife .

A royal wedding

Blanche de Castille takes in hand the romantic destiny of Louis IX

While the young Marguerite refines her education and travels through Provence, Louis IX is about to reach the age of majority . Blanche de Castille, mother of Louis IX and granddaughter of Alienor of Aquitaine , then held the role of regency since the death of her husband Louis VIII, and worked daily to leave a powerful kingdom to her son. Louis IX is educated in spirituality and morality, which will undoubtedly make him the only king who has become a Saint. As he reaches the age to govern, Louis IX is crowned King of France . It's time to find him a wife. Again, Blanche de Castille will pull the reins of power. The search for the perfect wife for Louis IX has become a real state affair. The choice quickly falls on Marguerite de Provence, known for her legendary beauty . But it is not her physical attractions that will convince Blanche of Castile. The mother of the Capetian king is persuaded by Pope Gregory IX, who sees in this marriage a means of controlling Raimond-Bérenger, who wants to be disturbing.

Marguerite de Provence and Saint Louis are getting married:let the celebrations begin!

At the end of the year 1233, the talks about the marriage of Marguerite de Provence and Louis IX begin. Marguerite being the eldest, the dowry promised to the king is substantial . In mid-May of the year 1234, Marguerite de Provence left her native land to take the direction of Sens, where the royal wedding was being prepared. Blanche de Castille is thinking big for the wedding of her royal son. Marguerite de Provence arrives in Sens, and takes the direction of her lodge to prepare for the ceremony which will be grandiose. The day after the wedding, Marguerite de Provence is crowned in the cathedral of Sens , thus becoming Queen of France. Pink brunette dress and gold crown elegantly embellish the already intact beauty of Marguerite de Provence. Barely 12-13 years old , the girl already seems like a woman. Scaffolds installed in front of the cathedral, a leafy box to install the king, who will be seated on a silk sheet, tablecloths and napkins of great beauty, a gold cup for the master cupbearer,... The coronation is as grandiose as the wedding .

King Louis IX falls in love with his wife

Very quickly, Saint Louis falls under the spell of his young wife with unequaled beauty and a somewhat fiery character . It is the same for Marguerite de Provence, who falls in love with this king full of charm. One of his contemporaries writes these few lines on Saint Louis:

"His height, which made him exceed all others by the height of his shoulders, the beauty of the body spread over him in just proportions, his round head which seemed to be the seat of wisdom, his calm face serene man who exuded something angelic, his graceful radiant dove eyes, the whiteness and radiance of his complexion, a premature baldness which revealed the maturity of his mind and even the wisdom that is venerated in old men, these are qualities which it would perhaps be superfluous to praise much since they are only the ornament of man on the outside; but, as they also proceed from interior holiness, they command attention and respect. ".

Despite this budding and ardent love, the king will surprise his beloved on her first wedding night. After getting ready to welcome her husband, Marguerite de Provence goes to bed and waits impatiently for Louis. After a long wait, Marguerite sends for a lady from her suite to find out where her royal husband is. Saint Louis is in the chapel praying. On the second wedding night, Marguerite de Provence waits with undisguised impatience for her husband. But it's a new disappointment! Louis IX is still at prayer, as well as the third night. The king demanded a three-night prayer vigil before consummating his marriage , to the delight of the pious Blanche of Castile.

Blanche de Castille interferes in the intimacy of the royal couple

On the fourth night, Louis IX visits the one who makes his heart beat, Marguerite de Provence. But this moment of intimacy takes place under the control of Blanche de Castille. Left behind the door of Marguerite de Provence's room during this initiation to intimacy, she enters and demands of her son that he end his night alone in his own room. Even if this first night was not so intimate, the two lovers will work hard to find each other and flutter as they please, with the complicity of the staff. At the Château de Pontoise, Louis IX had a secret corridor installed between his study and the bedroom of his beloved. The Monarch can then find his beloved in complete discretion. If Blanche de Castille approaches the bedroom, the staff are required to strike the ground with their halberd, giving the newlyweds time to separate. We quickly understand why this castle became the privileged place of the royal couple . The love of Saint Louis for Marguerite de Provence will remain intact until his death. Historians agree that he probably remained faithful to Marguerite.

A rivalry develops between Marguerite de Provence and Blanche de Castille

This severity of Blanche de Castille quickly reveals a disagreement with her daughter-in-law. What was supposed to be a purely political marriage turned into a marriage of pure and sincere love . In addition to taking her place on the throne of France, Marguerite of Provence also took her place in the heart of Saint Louis. Blanche de Castille is no longer the only woman in the king's life. This aging queen with a faded beauty finds it difficult to support the rise of Marguerite , a young woman of acclaimed beauty. Beyond the affectionate side, Blanche fears that her son will decide to emancipate himself in the exercise of power. What he will do in the future, but without completely dismissing his mother. Proof of this is when he entrusts him with the Regency of the kingdom when he leaves on a crusade. I invite you to read my article on the chronology and dates of the crusades in the Middle Ages . For several years, Marguerite de Provence put up with this mother-in-law with a fiery and jealous character, while imposing herself as Queen of France.

The children of Marguerite de Provence and Saint Louis

The balance of power between the two women is reversed when Marguerite de Provence gives birth to her first child. After six years of marriage, the Queen of France gives birth to Blanche . After this first pregnancy, many others will follow. Isabella was born on March 18, 1242; then Louis on February 25, 1244; then Philip on May 1, 1245; followed by Jean in 1248 and Jean-Tristan in April 1250; then Pierre in 1251 and Blanche in 1253, and finally Marguerite in 1255, Robert in 1256 and Agnès in 1260. In all, Marguerite de Provence and Louis IX will have 11 children in 20 years.

But three misfortunes will come affect this marital happiness . Their first child, Blanche, died at only 3 years old. Louis, the heir to the throne, is carried away at the age of 16 after a terrible stomach ache. And finally, Jean dies in infancy.

The Queen of France dies

For many years, Marguerite de Provence worked to recover her native land , the county of Provence, in vain. She finally decides to leave the Court of France to lead a life of rest, far from the tumults of the Kingdom. She leaves state affairs in good hands, those of her grandson Philippe IV, heir to the crown. The one who charmed the famous Saint Louis and competed with the tumultuous Blanche of Castile died on December 21, 1295 at the Saint-Marcel Abbey in Tarn-et-Garonne.