Louis VII was King of the Franks in the 12th Century. He is most well-known for leading the Second Crusade and for being the first husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine.

He was born in 1120, the second child of the King of the Franks, Louis VI. The king's oldest child, Philip, died in 1131; by that time, however, Louis, as the second son, had embarked on a regimen of religious education and had, by age 11, become quite devout. He made the acquaintance of Abbot Suger, one of his father's advisors, and would count on Suger's counsel during his own reign a few years later.

The king crowned his oldest surviving son junior king in 1131; seven years later, when the king died, Louis the Younger became king in his own right. This happened just six days after the king-in-waiting married Eleanor of Aquitaine. Louis and Eleanor had two daughters together.

The latest King Louis inherited his father's struggles against Thibaud IV, count of Blois. King and vassal came to blows in 1142. Louis also was at odds with the papacy. He mended fences somewhat by leading one contingent of the Second Crusade, which aimed to punish Muslim armies for retaking Edessa. A lack of cooperation between the French force and that led by King Conrad III of Germany–along with a lack of men, money, and weapons–contributed heavily to the relative failure of that Crusade. Louis, distrusting of his wife, ordered her to accompany him on campaign to the Holy Land. Despite the failure of the Crusader armies, Louis stayed in the Holy Land, returning to France in 1149.

Louis and Eleanor had disliked each other for some time. They had their marriage annulled in March 1152. Mere weeks later, Eleanor married Henry Plantagenet, who two years later became England's King Henry II.

The English and French kings maintained an enmity for the rest of the latter's life. Louis successfully encouraged Henry's sons to rebel against him in 1173. The Great Revolt, as it was known, ended with peace talks in 1174. Louis had also given shelter to Thomas Becket during his dispute with Henry II.

Louis married again, in 1154, to Constance of Castile. They together had two daughters. At the encouragement of Becket, who had previously been Henry II's chancellor and friend, Louis agreed to have his oldest daughter with Constance, Margaret, marry Henry's oldest son, Henry. Constance died in childbirth in 1160, and Louis married again, to Adela of Champagne, just five weeks later. This third wife finally gave the king a son, whom he named Philip and had crowned as king-in-waiting in 1179. By that time, Louis had suffered paralysis. He died a year later. His son became Philip II.