General Notes

byname LOUIS THE YOUNGER, French LOUIS LE JEUNE, Capetian king of France who pursued a long rivalry, marked by recurrent
Note: warfare and continuous intrigue, with Henry II of England.

Note: In 1131 Louis was anointed as successor to his father, Louis VI, and in 1137 he became the sole ruler at his father's death.
Note: Louis married Eleanor, daughter of William X, duke of Aquitaine, in 1137, a few days before his effective rule began, and he thus
Note: temporarily extended the Capetian lands to the Pyrenees. Louis continued his father's pacification program by building the
Note: prestige of the kingship through an administrative government based on trustworthy men of humble origin and by consolidating
Note: his rule over his royal domains rather than by adding new  acquisitions. From 1141 to 1143 he was involved in a fruitless
Note: conflict with Count Thibaut of Champagne and the papacy. But thereafter his relations with the popes were good; Alexander II,
Note: whom he supported against Frederick Barbarossa, took refuge in France. But the major threat to his reign came from Geoffrey,
Note: count of Anjou and, briefly, of Normandy, and Geoffrey's son Henry, who later (1154) became King Henry II of England as well
Note: as ruler of both Anjou and Normandy. After Louis repudiated his wife Eleanor for misconduct on March 21, 1152, she married
Note: Henry, who then took over control of Aquitaine. Ironically, this act was probably to Capetian advantage because Aquitaine might
Note: have drained the resources of Louis's kingdom while bringing him little revenue. After the death of Louis's second wife, he
Note: married Alix of Champagne, whose Carolingian blood brought added prestige to the monarchy (1160); their son became Philip II
Note: Augustus.

Note: Louis might have defeated Henry if he had made concerted attacks rather than weak assaults on Normandy in 1152. Anglo-Norman.
Family disputes saved Louis's kingdom from severe incursions during the many conflicts that Louis had with Henry between 1152 and 1174. Louis was helped by the quarrel (1164-70) between Henry and Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, and a revolt (1173-74) of Henry's sons. Suger, abbot of Saint-Denis, who acted as regent in 1147-49 while Louis was away on the Second Crusade, is the primary historian for Louis's reign.

Note: SOURCE: "Louis VII" Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Note: <http://members.eb.com/bol/topic?eu=50228&sctn=1>