Louis VI of France
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| Louis VI the Fat | ||
|---|---|---|
| King of France | ||
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| Reign | 29 July 1108 – 1 August 1137 | |
| Coronation | 3 August 1108, Cathedral Ste Croix, Orléans | |
| Born | 1 December 1081 | |
| Paris, France | ||
| Died | 1 August 1137 | |
| Béthisy-Saint-Pierre, France | ||
| Buried | Saint Denis Basilica, Paris, France | |
| Predecessor | Philip I | |
| Successor | Louis VII | |
| Consort | Lucienne de Rochefort Adélaide de Maurienne (1092 – 1154) |
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| Issue | Philip, Rex Filius (1116 – 1131) Louis VII (1120 – 1180) Henry, Archbishop of Reims (1121 – 1165) Robert, Count of Dreux (c.1123 – 1188) Constance, Countess of Toulouse (c.1124 – 1176) Philip, Archdeacon of Paris (1125 – 1161) Peter, Lord of Courtenay (c.1126 – 1183) |
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| Royal House | House of Capet | |
| Father | Philip I (23 May 1052 – 29 July 1108) | |
| Mother | Bertha of Holland (c.1055-1094) | |
Louis VI the Fat (French: Louis VI le Gros) (December 1, 1081 – August 1, 1137) was King of France from 1108 to 1137. The first member of the House of Capet to make a lasting contribution to the centralizing institutions of royal power[1], Louis was born in Paris, the son of Philip I and his first wife, Bertha of Holland. Almost all of his twenty-nine-year reign was spent 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 endeared himself to the working classes of France. His biography by his constant advisor Abbot Suger of Saint Denis renders him a fully-rounded character to the historian, unlike most of his predecessors, one of the first strong kings of France since the division of the Carolingian Empire.
In his youth, Louis fought the duke of Normandy, Robert Curthose, and the lords of the royal demesne, the Île de France. He became close to Suger, who became his adviser. He succeeded his father on his death on July 29, 1108. Louis's half-brother prevented him from reaching Rheims and so he was crowned on August 3 in the cathedral of Orléans. The archbishop of Rheims, Ralph the Green, sent envoys to challenge the validity of the coronation and anointing, but to no avail.
On Palm Sunday 1115, Louis was present in Amiens to support the bishop and inhabitants of the city in their conflict with Enguerrand I of Coucy, one of his vassals, who refused to recognize the granting of a charter of communal privileges. Louis came with an army to help the citizens to besiege Castillon (the fortress dominating the city, from which Enguerrand was making punitive expeditions). At the siege, the king took an arrow to his hauberk, but the castle, considered impregnable, fell after two years.
Louis VI died on August 1, 1137 at the castle of Béthisy-Saint-Pierre, nearby Senlis and Compiègne, of dysentery caused by his excesses, which had made him obese. He was interred in Saint Denis Basilica. He was succeeded on the throne by his son Louis VII, called "the Younger," who had originally wanted to be a monk.
[edit] Marriages and children
| French Monarchy |
|---|
| Direct Capetians |
 |
| Louis VI |
| Louis VII |
| Robert I of Dreux |
He married in 1104: 1) Lucienne de Rochefort — the marriage was annulled.
- Their child:
- 1) Isabelle (c.1105-before 1175), married (abt.1119) William of Vermandois, seigneur of Chaumont
He married in 1115: 2) Adélaide de Maurienne (1092–1154)
- Their children:
- 1) Philip (1116 – October 13, 1131), King of France (1129–31)
- 2) Louis VII (1120 – November 18, 1180), King of France
- 3) Henry (1121–75), archbishop of Reims
- 4) Hugues (c.1122–?)
- 5) Robert (c.1123 – October 11, 1188), count of Dreux
- 6) Constance (c.1124 – August 16, 1176), married first Eustace IV, count of Boulogne and then Raymond V of Toulouse.
- 7) Philip (1125–61), bishop of Paris
- 8) Peter (c.1126–83), married Elizabeth, lady of Courtenay
[edit] Notes
- ^ Norman F. Cantor, The Civilization of the Middle Ages 1993, p 410.
[edit] References
- Suger, Abbot of Saint Denis,. The Deeds of Louis the Fat. Translated with introduction and notes by Richard Cusimano and John Moorhead. Washington, DC : Catholic University of America Press,1992. (ISBN 0-8132-0758-4)
- Suger, Abbot of Saint Denis,. The Deeds of Louis the Fat. Translated by Jean Dunbabin (this version is free, but has no annotations)
| Preceded by Philip I |
King of France 1108–37 |
Succeeded by Louis VII |
