Louis VI the Fat
| Louis VI the Fat | |
|---|---|
Seal of Louis VI of France
|
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| King of the Franks | |
| Reign | 29 July 1108 – 1 August 1137 |
| Coronation | 3 August 1108 in Orléans Cathedral |
| Predecessor | Philip I |
| Successor | Louis VII |
| Born |
1 December 1081 Paris, France |
| Died | 1 August 1137 (aged 55) Béthisy-Saint-Pierre, France |
| Burial | Saint Denis Basilica, Paris, France |
| Spouse |
Lucienne de Rochefort Adélaide de Maurienne |
| Issue |
Philip, King of the Franks Louis VII, King of the Franks Henry, Archbishop of Reims Robert, Count of Dreux Constance, Countess of Toulouse Philip, Archdeacon of Paris Peter, Lord of Courtenay |
| House | Capet |
| Father | Philip I, King of the Franks |
| Mother | Bertha of Holland |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Louis VI (1 December 1081 – 1 August 1137), called the Fat (French: le Gros), was King of the Franks from 1108 until his death (1137). Chronicles called him "roi de Saint-Denis".
Louis was the first member of the House of Capet to make a lasting contribution to the centralizing institutions of royal power, He spent almost all of his twenty-nine-year reign fighting either the "robber barons" who plagued Paris or the Norman kings of England for their continental possession of Normandy. Nonetheless, Louis VI managed to reinforce his power considerably and became one of the first strong kings of France since the division of the Carolingian Empire in 843.
Louis was a warrior king but by his forties his weight had become so great that it was increasingly difficult for him to lead in the field. A biography - The Deeds of Louis the Fat, prepared by his loyal advisor Abbot Suger of Saint Denis - offers a fully developed portrait of his character, in contrast to what little historians know about most of his predecessors.
Louis was born on 1 December 1081 in Paris, the son of Philip I and Bertha of Holland.
Suger tells us: "In his youth, growing courage matured his spirit with youthful vigour, making him bored with hunting and the boyish games with which others of his age used to enjoy themselves and forget the pursuit of arms." And..."How valiant he was in youth, and with what energy he repelled the king of the English, William Rufus, when he attacked Louis' inherited kingdom."
Louis married Lucienne de Rochefort, a French crown princess, in 1104, but repudiated her three years later. They had no children.
On 3 August 1115 Louis married Adelaide of Maurienne, daughter of Humbert II of Savoy and of Gisela of Burgundy, and niece of Pope Callixtus II. They had eight children. Adelaide was one of the most politically active of all France's medieval queens. Her name appears on 45 royal charters from the reign of Louis VI. During her time as queen (1115-1137), royal charters were dated with both her regnal year and that of the king.
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Wikipedia