Louis VI le Gros
King of the Franks · 1108-1137 · born on 1 December 1081, died on 1 August 1137
Coming to the throne in 1108, Louis VI devoted his reign to strengthening royal power in the Capetian domain: he brought to heel the castellans and minor lords who extorted tolls from roads and abbeys, and took on the great feudal lords.
He relied on Suger, abbot of Saint-Denis, and clashed with the king of England Henry I over Normandy, whose claimant William Clito he supported. Defeated at Brémule (1119), he nonetheless continued his policy of consolidation.
Nicknamed “the Fat”, he died in 1137, not before having his son Louis VII marry the heiress of Aquitaine, Eleanor: a union which then seemed to promise a considerable increase in Capetian power.
In the tree of power
- Era: Capetians
- Predecessor: Philippe Ier (1060-1108)
- Successor: Louis VII le Jeune (1137-1180)