Henry III and Louis IX met on five occasions, or, to put it more precisely, there were five periods during which Henry III was in France and they had meetings. These meetings illuminate the personalities, conduct and outlook of the two kings, and also the forms of symbolic and non-verbal communication about which Björn Weiler has written. Study of the meetings also prompts reflection on the very different source materials available for the study of English and French history in this period and the very different ways they have sometimes been utilised by historians.

Henry III and Louis IX had long and overlapping reigns, Henry's from 1216 to 1272, Louis' from 1226 to 1270. They both endured minorities. They married sisters and were faithful husbands. Indeed this paper might also be called the meetings of Eleanor and Margaret of Provence. Both kings were deeply religious. Both were peacemakers. They started as enemies and became friends. One understands Nicholas Vincent's question ‘is there really that great a difference between their respective styles?’ And yet everyone would agree that the two kings were also very different. Henry was of middle height, compact of body with a drooping eyelid. Louis was tall, willowy, angel faced. Henry III was deserted by his mother, Louis brought up under his mother's care. Both kings took the cross but only Louis went on crusade. Above all, Louis was far more successful as a king. He was made a saint and Henry was not.