LUIGI VII, called the Younger, king of FRANCIA. — Son of Luigi VI, born ca. 1121, died in Paris on 18 September 1180. Despite his notable qualities of courage, justice, and piety, L. VII does not enjoy a reputation equal to that of his father, and
usually everything good that was accomplished during his reign is attributed to Suger, who succeeded in pacifying the disputes between the young King and Count Theobald IV of Champagne, prudently administered the kingdom during the King’s absence, when he had departed for the Second Crusade, and managed to delay the rupture and consequent separation between L. VII and his consort, Eleonora d’Aquitania.
The crown’s possessions did not increase, because Aquitania, brought as Eleonora’s dowry, eluded the King of France and augmented the fortune of his excessively rich and powerful vassal, Enrico II Plantageneto, whom the princess subsequently remarried. The rivalry between the Capetian and the Plantagenet was thereby intensified. L. VII knew no victories, but took advantage of his enemy’s disagreements with his sons, his barons, and his bishops, particularly Thomas Becket. L.’s failure to reach an agreement with the emperor Federico Barbarossa threatened to provoke an Anglo-German alliance. The difficulties of L. VII did not, however, impede the progress begun under his predecessor. The Church supported the King, who received Pope Alessandro III, a fugitive, at Sens. The administration of the royal domain was improved, and the King expressed his wishes by means of ordinances. The successive marriages of L. VII demonstrate the progress of the dynasty. After Eleonora di Aquitania, he married Costanza di Castiglia (1154), and her sister became countess of Tolosa; the Capetians turned toward the South. With his third wife, Adele di Champagne (1160), the powerful Thibaut family drew closer to the court, thereby forming a powerful party. These policies convey the direction of the dynasty’s future progress.