Proto-Gothic  (1175-1250)

Examples of the Proto-Gothic style include the illustrated, or picture, Bible of Louis IX, also known as the Crusader Bible. Script for the text is a blend between the late Romanesque and early Gothic script. The sainted King of France’s mother was Blanche of Castile, patron of the French Psalter by her name. Louis IX participated in the seventh and eighth Crusades. The Crusader Bible unashamedly and graphically depicts the horrors of conflict with armed warriors in chain mail and on horseback in the heat of battle. See examples here.

The Morgan Bible, The Pierpont Morgan Library, New York, Ms M. 638, circa 1250