or quality of something. While the magnitude in indisputable would Louis have called into question the quality of his achievements as they did not lead to the sought after apogee...a successful crusade?
             Long after Louis' death the citizens of France dreamed of a return of 'Monsigneur St Louis' (My Lord St Louis): they saw his reign as a golden age of universal happiness. Memory can be deceptive. There were well documented epidemics and food shortages throughout his reign which stunted the growth resulting from the flourishing economy of the previous century. The last of the French Cathedrals came at a price and impoverishment of the lower classes was that price. This needs to be acknowledged as the disparity between the accepted ideal of St. Louis and the often ignored reality of his rule is an extremely important factor when assessing his achievements. The French monarchy was lucky that Philip Augustus and Louis IX came in that order because Louis' role was essentially to carry on the work of his grandfather. At the time of Louis' reign however, (and this seems to be one of the main causes of his godlike stature in the collective memory of France) France had made her territorial gains and was now in need of a king with a burning zeal for justice and the crusade so that the gains made at the expense of other kings would not be aggravated. Louis filled the position perfectly. All accounts of Louis' reign were written after his death and canonisation; Joinville, most famously. It would be difficult even for the greatest of authors to stick only to hard facts when writing about someone who has been canonised, especially if they were devout Christians themselves.
             All these ascriptions of excellence and holiness made by his contemporaries were not really developed however till after the failure of his first crusade. Louis began to embody the attributed epithet mos
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