en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amalric,_King_of_Jerusalem
1 correction found
King Louis VIII of France
This should be Louis VII, not Louis VIII. Louis VII was king of France in the 1160s; Louis VIII was born later, in 1187, and did not reign until 1223–1226.
Full reasoning
The article places this correspondence in the aftermath of Amalric's 1163 Egyptian campaign. That makes Louis VIII impossible: Louis VIII was born in 1187 and was king of France only from 1223 to 1226. By contrast, Louis VII was king of France from 1137 to 1180, which matches the date of Amalric's reign.
There is also direct evidence tying Amalric's correspondence to Louis VII specifically. A catalog entry for the medieval letter identifies "Letter from the King of Jerusalem to King Louis VII, 12 January 1165" and summarizes it as King Amalric writing to King Louis VII for aid.
So the name in this sentence is not just anachronistic; it contradicts both the French regnal chronology and a surviving letter attributed to Amalric.
3 sources
- Louis VII | Encyclopedia.com
Louis VII (ca. 1120-1180) was king of France from 1137 to 1180.
- Louis VIII | Encyclopedia.com
Louis VIII (1187-1226) King of France (1223-26).
- Letter from the King of Jerusalem to King Louis VII, 12 January 1165
King Amalric writes to King Louis VII ... "Amalric, King of Jerusalem, to Louis VII, King of France, 12 January, 1165."