Men at the Center: Redemptive Governance under Louis IX

Three portraits of men who were at the very center of governance in thirteenth-century France--men who strove in the shadow of King Louis IX (Saint Louis) to impose a redemptive regime on the realm. Professor Jordan treats them as individuals, but in a sense they are also types: Robert of Sorbon, a churchman
Etienne Boileau, a bourgeois
and Simon de Nesle, an aristocrat. Robert was the founder of the Sorbonne
Boileau was the prvt or royal administrator of Paris
and Simon was twice co-regent of the kingdom. Thinking about them and their relations with Louis IX opens up a new and altogether sobering vista for exploring the nature of the king's rule and the impact of his rule on his subjects.