Description

Louis VII was the second son of French King Louis VI, called Louis the Fat. Louis VI ruled France for 29 years, waging constant war on his ambitious barons as he consolidated his Capetian Dynasty.
Originally educated for a career in the church Louis VII’s fortunes would change in 1131 with the death of his older brother Philip who had been the designated heir.
As death neared Louis VI in 1137 he was able to arrange a marriage between his son Louis and Eleanor Duchess of Aquitaine. A month after the wedding King Louis VI died and son Louis VII ascended the throne of France.
The marriage between the polar opposites of the monkish Louis and the fiery and high spirited Eleanor was doomed from the onset and resulted in an annulment in 1152 due to the failure to produce a male heir.
During his reign Louis engaged in continued wars with barons hostile to the crown as well as his participation in the Second Crusade.
With his third wife Adele of Champagne, Louis finally fathered a male heir. The long awaited son born in 1165, Philip August would go on to become one France’s greatest kings.