LUIGI VII, called the Younger, king of FRANCE. — Son of Louis VI, b. ca. 1121, d. in Paris on 18 Sept. 1180. Despite his notable qualities of courage, justice, and piety, L. VII does not enjoy a reputation equal to that of his father, and everything good that was accomplished during his reign is usually attributed to Suger, who succeeded in pacifying the disputes between the young king and Count Theobald IV of Champagne, administered the kingdom prudently during the king’s absence when he departed for the Second Crusade, and managed to delay the rupture and consequent separation between L. VII and his consort, Eleanor of Aquitaine.
The crown’s possessions did not increase, because Aquitaine, brought as Eleanor’s dowry, escaped the king of France and went to enrich his too rich and powerful vassal, Henry II Plantagenet, with whom the princess remarried. Thus the rivalry between the Capetian and the Plantagenet was aggravated. L. VII did not know victories, but he took advantage of the discord between his enemy and his sons, his barons, and his bishops, in particular Thomas Becket. The failure of L.’s agreement with Emperor Frederick Barbarossa risked provoking an Anglo-German alliance. The difficulties of L. VII, however, did not hinder the progress begun under his predecessor. The Church supported the king, who received the fugitive Pope Alexander III at Sens. The management of the royal domain was improved, and the king expressed his will through ordinances. The king’s subsequent marriages demonstrate the progress of the dynasty. After Eleanor of Aquitaine, he married Constance of Castile (1154), and her sister became countess of Toulouse; the Capetians turned toward the South. With his third wife, Adela of Champagne (1160), the powerful family of the Thibauts drew closer to the court, thus forming a powerful faction. These trends indicate the future progress of the dynasty.