King Louis FRANCE, VI

   Other names for Louis were "The Fat" and FRANCE King.

   Ancestral File Number: 8XJ2-4S. User ID: 75638988/75639036.

   General Notes:

"The Fat", King of FRANCE Reigned 1108-1137, Gisant Effigy in Abbey Church of St Denis France.

ABBEY CHURCH OF SAINT-DENIS
Volume II The Royal Tombs, Alain Erlande-Brandenburg, Editions De la Lourelle, 7 Rue Dupuytren 75006 Paris
"16. Louis VI d1137...In 1263 and 1264 at the request of Saint Louis, the tombs of the kings of France were disposed at St-Denis and buried between the pillars at the crossing of the transept, the Merovingians and Carolingians in the south, the Capetians in the north. To commemeorate the occasion, sixteen stone gisants were executed (that of Eudes and Hugh Capet disappeared during the French Revolution), all identically dressed and represented in the same fashion: with the eyes open and calm gestures. The face of the queens, emphasized by the play of light about their veils are the most beautiful. Those of Henry I and Robert the Pious are the most expressive. The work of three different artists can be recognized, each bringing a certain diversity to this sereies of gisants without upsetting its overall plan."

BOOKS
Kings and Queens of Europe, Genealogical Chart, Anne Taute and Romilly Squire, Taute, 1989: "Louis VI, Son of Philippe I and Bertha Holland, King of France 1108-1137, Mar =2 Adelaide Maurienne, Died 1137."

The Political History of England, Vol II, George Burton AdamsLongmans Green and Co, 1905, Ch VII, p150:
"...In the summer of 1108, the long reign of Philip I of France had closed, and the reign, nearly as long, of his son, Louis VI, had begun, the first of the great Capetian kings, in whose reign begins a definite policy of aggrandizement for the dynasty directed in great part against their rivals, the English kings..."
p156: [1109] "Henry [I of England] would appear at first sight greatly superior to Louis VI of France in the military power and resources of which he had immediate command, as he certainly was in diplomatic skill. The Capetian king, master only of the narrow domains of the Isle of France, and hardly of those until the constant fighting of Louis' reign hadsubdued the turbulent barons of the province; hemmed in by the dominions, each as extensive as his own, of the great barons nominally his vassals but sending to his wars as scanty levies as possible, or appearing openly in the ranks of his enemies as their own interests dictated; threatened by foreign foes, the kings of England and of Germany, who would detach even these loosely held provinces from his kingdom- the Capetian king could hardly have defended himself at this epoch from aneighbour so able as Henry I, wielding the united strength of England and Normandy, and determined upon conquest. The safety of the Capetian house was secured by the absence of bothe these conditions. Henry was not ambitious of conquest; and ashis troubles with France increased so did dissentions in Normandy, which crippled his resources and divided his efforts. The net result at the close of Henry's reign was that the king of England was no stronger than in 1110, unless we count the uncertain prospect of the Angevin succession; while the king of France was master of larger resources and a growing power."
Ch IX, p210: [1137] "In May [Stephen] had an interview with Louis VI of France, and was recognized by him as duke, on the same terms as Henry I had been, his son Eustace doing homage in his stead..."

The Story of the Plantagenets, Vol I, The Conquering Family, Thomas B Costain, Doubleday & Co, Garden City, 1949, p38:
"...Louis the Fat was King of France at this juncture, and his avoirdupois made it impossible for him to be lifted out of bed. The mind functioning in this mass of fatty degeneration was keen, nonetheless, and fully conscious fo the necessity of finding a French husband forthe vivacious Eleanor. He finally decided to marry her to his own son, who was to rule after him as Louis VII."

Eleanor of Aquitaine the Mother Queen, Desmond Seward, 1978, Dorset Press, p20:
"Louis VI was accused, with justice, of making a god out of his belly, and by his mid-forties he was too fat to mount a norse, yet for all his gluttony he was determined to be more than just `duke of the Lle de France'. After enforcing strict law and order for the first time throughout the Capetian domains, by military skill and sheer force of character, he then made even his greatest vassals defer to him as a judge and arbitrator, as in the disputed succession to the lordship of Bourbon. By 1124 his vassals had grown dutiful enough to help him fight off an invasion by the emperor Henry V and the English king Henry I. Louis also found other sources of support by issuing to town communes throughout France (though seldom in his own territory) charters to set up corporations, which freed them from feudal obligations to their local lord. Understandably, `Louis le gros' cast greedy eyes on Aquitaine and its heiress. With such a king, Eleanor would have to gove priority to a Capetian suitor. In any case, shouldher father die, the wardship of herself and of her fief would fall to the king..."
p23: "...On 8 August [1137] Eleanor and Louis were consecrated duke and duchess of Aquitaine...During the banquet in Maubergeon that followed, abbot Suger brought them the news that Louis VI had died a week earlier, killed by gluttony."

Europe in the Middle Ages, Robert S Hoyt, 1957, Harcourt Brace & Co, p623: "Genealogical Table III, The Capetian Dynasty, Louis VI (1108-1137)..."

The Story of Civilization, Will Durant, Vol IV, The Age of Faith, Bk V, The Climax of Chrisianity, Ch XXV, The Recovery of Europe, Sec XI France, p688: "...Having grown fat at forty-five, Philip handed over the major affairs of state to his son Louis VI (1108-1137), himself known as Louis the Fat..." "...not until 1104, after Philip and the papacy had settled some of their political differences, did Paschal II turn a blind eye to his relations with Bertrada. By this time Louis VI, Philip's son byBertha, had taken over the administration of the kingdom, Philip having been rendered inactive by his extreme obesity."

The Story of Civilization, Will Durant, Vol IV, The Age of Faith, Bk V, The Climax of Christianity, Ch XXV, The Recovery ofEurope, Sec XI, France, p688: "Louis VI (1108-1137), known as Louis the Fat, deserved a better name. For twenty four years he fought, finally with success, the robber barons who plundered travelers on the roads; he strengthened the monarchy byorganizing a competent army; he did what he could to protect the peasants, the artisans, and the communes; and he had the good sense to make the Abbot Suger his chief minister and friend. Suger of St. Denis (1081-1151) was the Richelieu of the twelfth century. He managed the affairs of France with wisdom, justice, and farsight; he encouraged and improved agriculture; he designed and built one of the earliest and finest masterpieces of Gothic style; and he wrote an illuminating account of his ministry and work. He was the most valuable bequest left by Louis the Fat to his son, whom Suger served till death."

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1981, Micropaedia, Vol VI, p343, Louis VI: "Also called `Louis Le Gros', meaning `The Fat', Born 1081, Died 1 Aug 1137, King of France from 1108 to 1137; he brought power and dignity to the French crown by his recovery of royal authority over the feudal nobles in his domains of the Ile-de-France and the Orleanais.
"Louis was designated by his father, Philip I, as his successor in 1098. After trying to subjugate his vassals in 1100, Louis realized that he would first have to gain a firmer control over the lands that he already possessed before seeking territorial acquisitions. From his pacification program Louis developed several important concepts for future kings: for example, that the king was a vassal of no man and that it was the king's duty to preserve peace and justice in his kingdom.
"Louis hada good relationship with the church and clergy. He has been presented by some historians as the father of communes or towns, but in fact he recognized towns only out of circumstance rather than from principle.
"Louis' major wars were against King Henry I of England during the periods 1104-1113 and 1116-1120. When Charles the Good, Count of Flanders, was assassinated in 1127, Louis supported William Clito, who became the successor; even though William was eventually toppled, Louis' actions demonstrated the new strength of the monarchy. Louis' last major achievement was to arrange a marriage between his son Louis VII and Eleanor, heiress of William X, Duke of Aquitaine. Abbot Suger of Saint-Denis, a most trusted adviser, is the primary historian for Louis' reign."

The Wall Chart of World History, Edward Hull, 1988, Studio Editions, France 1108: "Louis VI, `The Fat', King of France 1108-1137, Son of Philip I, Able and Useful Reign..."

ANCESTRY.COM
World Ancestral Chart No. 125360 Ancestors of Patricia Ann Kieffer.

ANCESTRAL FILE
Ancestral File Ver 4.11 8XJ2-4S.

   Marriage Information:

Louis married Luciane De ROCHEFORT in 1104. The marriage ended in divorce.

   Marriage Information:

Louis also married Queen Adelaide Maurienne Savoy FRANCE, daughter of Count Humbert D' Maurienne SAVOY, II and Countess Gisela Bourgogne BURGUNDY, in Apr 1115 in Paris, Seine, France. (Queen Adelaide Maurienne Savoy FRANCE was born about 1092 in , Savoy, France, died on 18 Nov 1154 and was buried in Abbey, Montmartre, France.)