St. Louis, King of France, gladly welcomed Franciscans to be some of his closest advisors and sought to imitate their lifestyle as best as he could.
Typically when most of us think of Franciscans, we might imagine a man dressed in a brown habit, wearing sandals. The Franciscan in our mind not only lives for the poor, but lives among the poor, living a life of simplicity and poverty.
That's why it might be shocking to think of St. Louis, King of France, as a primary patron in the Franciscan Order, in particular, the Secular Franciscans.
Kings are not usually associated with poverty and penance, but St. Louis was an exception. He was a holy ruler who used his position in life for the benefit of the poor and suffering.
Part of the Franciscan family
Throughout his reign as king, St. Louis surrounded himself with Franciscans. For example, he assigned a Franciscan to minister the sacraments at one of his chapels in Paris. It was a custom at the time for the king to then eat a meal with the Franciscans after Mass.
He also promoted them to various high-ranking roles, as he trusted them and their distrust of wealth and power.
St. Louis also visit the Franciscans on his way to the Holy Land, stopping at Sens where they were having a provincial chapter. According to the The Cambridge Companion to Francis of Assisi, "Louis and his younger brothers Alfonse, Robert and Charles approached on foot dressed in simple pilgrims' garb, and the Franciscans, let by Eudes Riguard himself, rushed out to meet them. The king then asked for prayers for the royal family, and later the king and his brothers dined with Eudes."
Furthermore, "by 1255 Louis was perceived by some as a 'mendicant' king, one who was closely, even dangerously, tied to the Friars Minor."
Not only was he accepted by the Franciscans, he also put this spirituality into practice. His affection for the poor led him to take matters into his own hands, ensuring that everyone was fed before he began eating:
In Lent and Advent the number of the poor was increased, and several times it happened that the king waited upon them and placed food before them and carved for them and gave them money with his own hand when they went away. Particularly, at the great vigils of solemn festivals, he waited upon the poor, as above related, before he himself eat or drank anything.
His association with Franciscans, along with his love and service of the poor, made him a perfect role model for all Secular Franciscans (which at the time was called the Third Order).
After King Louis' death, the Franciscans were among the first to promote his sainthood and have since named him the co-patron of the Secular Franciscans.
