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LOUIS VII

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Originally appearing in Volume V17, Page 36 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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LOUIS VII . (c. 1121-118o), See also:king of See also:France, son of Louis VI. the See also:Fat, was associated with his See also:father and anointed by See also:Innocent II. in 1131. In 1137 he succeeded his father, and in the same See also:year married at See also:Bordeaux Eleanor, heiress of See also:William II., See also:duke of See also:Aquitaine. In the first See also:part of his reign he was vigorous and jealous of his prerogatives, but after his crusade his religiosity See also:developed to such an extent as to make him utterly inefficient. His See also:accession was marked by no disturbances, See also:save the risings of the burgesses of See also:Orleans and of See also:Poitiers, who wished to organize communes. But soon he came into violent conflict with See also:Pope Innocent II. The archbishopric of See also:Bourges became vacant, and the king supported as See also:candidate the See also:chancellor Cadurc, against the pope's nominee See also:Pierre de la Chatre, See also:swearing upon See also:relics that so See also:long as he lived Pierre should never enter Bourges. This brought the See also:interdict upon the king's lands. At the same See also:time he became involved in a See also:war with See also:Theobald, See also:count of See also:Champagne, by permitting Rodolphe (Raoul), count of See also:Vermandois and See also:seneschal of France, to repudiate his wife, Theobald's niece, and to marry Petronille of Aquitaine, See also:sister of the See also:queen of France. The war, which lasted two years (1142-44), was marked by the occupation of Champagne by the royal See also:army and the See also:capture of Vitry, where many persons perished in the burning of the See also:church. See also:Geoffrey the Handsome, count of See also:Anjou, by his See also:conquest of See also:Normandy threatened the royal domains, and Louis VII. by a See also:clever manoeuvre threw his army on the See also:Norman frontier and gained See also:Gisors, one of the keys of Normandy.

At his See also:

court which met in Bourges Louis declared on See also:Christmas See also:Day 1145 his intention of going on a crusade. St See also:Bernard assured its popularity by his See also:preaching at See also:Vezelay (See also:Easter 1146), and Louis set out from See also:Metz in See also:June 1147, on the overland route to See also:Syria. The expedition was disastrous, and he regained France in 1149, overcome by the humiliation of the crusade. In the See also:rest of his reign he showed much feebleness and poor See also:judgment. He committed a See also:grave See also:political blunder in causing a See also:council at See also:Beaugency (on the 21st of See also:March 1152) to annul his See also:marriage with Eleanor of Aquitaine, under pretext of kinship, but really owing to violent quarrels during the crusade. Eleanor married See also:Henry II. of See also:England in the following May, and brought him the duchy of Aquitaine. Louis VII. led a See also:half-hearted war against Henry for having married without the authorization of his suzerain; but in See also:August 1154 gave up his rights over Aquitaine, and contented himself with an See also:indemnity. In n54 Louis married See also:Constance, daughter of the king of See also:Castile, and their daughter See also:Marguerite he affianced imprudently by the treaty of Gisors (1158) to Henry, eldest son of the king of England, promising as See also:dowry the Vexin and Gisors. Five See also:weeks after the See also:death of Constance, on the 4th of See also:October 116o, Louis VII. married Adele of Champagne, and Henry II. to counterbalance the aid this would give the king of France, had the marriage of their See also:infant See also:children celebrated at once. Louis VII. gave little sign of understanding the danger of the growing Angevin See also:power, though in 1159 he made an expedition in the See also:south to aid See also:Raymond V., count of See also:Toulouse, who had been attacked by Henry II. At the same time the See also:emperor See also:Frederick I. in the See also:east was making See also:good the imperial claims on See also:Arles. When the See also:schism See also:broke out, Louis took the part of the. pope See also:Alexander III., the enemy of Frederick, and after two See also:comedy-like failures of Frederick to meet Louis VII. at See also:Saint See also:Jean de Losne (on the 29th of August and the 22nd of See also:September 1162), Louis definitely gave himself up to the cause of Alexander, who lived at See also:Sens from 1163 to 1165.

Alexander gave the king, in return for his loyal support, the See also:

golden See also:rose. Louis VII. received See also:Thomas See also:Becket and tried to reconcile him with King Henry II. He supported Henry's rebellious sons, but acted slowly and feebly, and so contributed largely to the break up of the See also:coalition (1173-1174).

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