IMC 2026: Sessions
Session 1337: Re-Evaluating the Age of St Louis, IV: Culture and Learning
Wednesday 8 July 2026, 16:30-18:00
| Organiser: | Anne E. Lester, Department of History, Johns Hopkins University |
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| Moderator/Chair: | Anne E. Lester, Department of History, Johns Hopkins University |
| Paper 1337-a | Jews in the Ages of St Louis (Language: English) Index terms: Biblical Studies, Hebrew and Jewish Studies, Political Thought, Religious Life |
| Paper 1337-b | Intellectual Life in Paris in the Age of St Louis: Human Connections and Social Pressures (Language: English) Index terms: Education, Language and Literature - Latin, Mentalities, Political Thought |
| Paper 1337-c | Literature and Poetics in the Age of St Louis (Language: English) Index terms: Hagiography, Language and Literature - French or Occitan, Mentalities, Political Thought |
| Paper 1337-d | Gothic Art in Capetian France: Monument, Miniature, and Modalities in the Age of St Louis (Language: English) Index terms: Archaeology - General, Art History - General, Political Thought, Theology |
| Abstract | 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'? |