IMC 2026: Sessions

By many accounts both at the time and in contemporary scholarship, the reign of Louis IX of France represented a distinct period of administrative growth and legal flourishing; religious and social renewal; economic acceleration and cultural diffusion; and the burgeoning of a new international order. 2026 marks an exciting moment - the 800th anniversary of Louis' accession to the throne - to take stock of new archival and manuscript evidence that has come to light, new methodologies and questions, and to reassess the 'Age of Saint Louis'. The four sessions proposed here bring together leading scholars to reflect on the exciting new work that has emerged over the course of the past two decades that addresses key developments during the reign of Louis IX. We will assess how and in what ways the Age of Saint Louis established a sense of temporality in practical ways, but also with respect to broader eschatological framings that took shape after the death of the holy king. What are the key factors that distinguished the reign of Louis IX from what came before and what came after? How did men and women understand themselves to be living in the 'Age of Saint Louis'?