Louis VIII "Le Lion" DE FRANCE
- Born: 5 Sep 1187, Paris, France
- Marriage (1): Blanche DE CASTILLE on 22 May 1200
- Died: 8 Nov 1226, Montpensier, France aged 39
General Notes:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_VIII_of_France
Louis VIII (5 September 1187 \endash 8 November 1226), called the Lion (French: le Lion), was King of France from 1223 to 1226. From 1216 to 1217, he also claimed to be King of England. Louis was the only surviving son of King Philip II of France by his first wife, Isabelle of Hainaut, from whom he inherited the County of Artois.
While Louis VIII only briefly reigned as king of France, he was an active leader prior to accession. During the First Barons' War of 1215\endash 17 against King John of England, his military prowess earned him the epithet the Lion. After his victory at the Siege of Roche-au-Moine in 1214, he invaded southern England and was proclaimed "King of England" by rebellious barons in London on the 2 June 1216. He was never crowned as king of England, however, and renounced his claim after being excommunicated and repelled. In 1217, Louis started the conquest of Guyenne, leaving only a small region around Bordeaux to Henry III of England.
Louis's short reign was marked by an intervention using royal forces into the Albigensian Crusade in southern France that decisively moved the conflict towards a conclusion. He was the first Capetian king to grant appanages to his younger sons on a large scale. He died in 1226 and was succeeded by his son Louis IX.
Louis married Blanche DE CASTILLE, daughter of Alfonso VIII DE CASTILLE and Eleanor OF ENGLAND, on 22 May 1200. (Blanche DE CASTILLE was born on 4 May 1188 in Palencia, Spain and died on 27 Nov 1252 in Paris, France.)
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