King Louis IX of France is told by his mother, Blanche of Castile, that she would rather see him "fry in hell" than commit a mortal sin - according to the Handbook for Grade School Nuns (Saint Fidgeta and Other Parodies, 107).
Inspiration[]
Louis IX, commonly known as Saint Louis, was King of France and is a canonized Catholic and Anglican saint. The king took an active part in the Seventh and Eighth Crusades, with many of his life's actions inspired by Christian zeal and Catholic devotion. He decided to severely punish blasphemy, gambling, interest-bearing loans and prostitution. He spent exorbitant sums on presumed relics of Christ and he expanded the scope of the Inquisition. He is the only canonized king of France, and there are consequently many places named after him[1].
Bowen feels this story of an alleged wish of the king's mother has probably been given a wee turn of the screw. “I vaguely remember hearing something like it (attributed to whose mother I don't know), but I'm pretty sure that the alternative to mortal sin was death or some other physical disaster, not frying in hell. As John wrote it, it presents a lovely paradox, which he must have cherished whether or not he was the originator.[2]"
References[]
- ↑ Wikipedia: Louis IX of France
- ↑ Correspondence with Charles Bowen.