Louis VII, the Younger, King of France

LOUIS VII, the Younger, King of France. - Son of Louis VI, b. ca. 1121, d. in Paris on 18 Sept. 1180. Despite his quite 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 done during his reign is 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, after he had left for the second Crusade, and knew how to delay the rupture and the consequent separation between L. VII and his consort, Eleanor of Aquitaine.

The possessions of the crown did not increase, because Aquitaine, brought as dowry by Eleanor, escaped the King of France and went to increase the fortune of his all-too-rich and powerful vassal, Henry II Plantagenet, whom the princess married in turn. Thus the rivalry between the Capetian and the Plantagenet grew worse. L. VII knew no victories, but he took advantage of the discords of his enemy with his sons, his barons, and his bishops, in particular Thomas Becket. L.'s failure to reach an agreement with the emperor Frederick Barbarossa risked provoking an Anglo-German alliance. The difficulties of L. VII did not, however, hinder the progress begun under his predecessor. The Church supported the King, who received at Sens the fugitive pope Alexander III. The management of the royal domain was improved and the King expressed his wishes by means of ordinances. The successive marriages of L. VII serve to 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 oriented themselves toward the South. With his third spouse, Adela of Champagne (1160), the powerful family of the Thibauts drew closer to the court, thus forming a powerful party. These orientations give the sense of the dynasty's future progress.