Sustaining Crusader Ardor: Eudes of Châteauroux’s Memorial Sermons for Count Robert of Artois

Abstract

Papal legates who appealed to potential crusaders by preaching also tried to explain to soldiers and commanders the many defeats the Christian armies endured, even though they were carrying out what they asserted to be God’s wishes. This article examines two memorial sermons preached by the legate, Eudes of Châteauroux, after the failure of the crusade of King Louis IX (r. 1226–1270), during which the ruler’s brother, Count Robert of Artois, died in battle at the Egyptian town of Mansourah.