On August 3, 1108, Louis VI the Fat was crowned King of France

On August 3, 1108, Louis VI, nicknamed the Fat because of his plumpness, was crowned king of France in the cathedral of Orléans, barely three days after the death of his father Philip I, in a rushed ceremony intended to cut short any dispute over his succession.

A coronation hastily arranged to thwart intrigues

The rushed coronation was due to fears that Bertrade de Montfort, Philip I's second wife, might favor her own son over Louis, born of his first marriage. The Bishop of Chartres, Yves de Chartres, along with several lords loyal to Louis, therefore organized a swift ceremony in Orléans rather than Reims, the traditional site for royal coronations, which was deemed too risky given the prevailing political tensions.

Around thirty years old at the time of his accession, Louis VI had already exercised a form of co-regency alongside his father during the latter's last years of reign, notably distinguishing himself by a constant struggle against the pillaging lords of Île-de-France who threatened the roads linking Paris to Orléans.

A reign dedicated to strengthening royal power

Once crowned, Louis VI devoted most of his reign to consolidating royal authority over the Capetian domain, still modest at that time, by subduing one by one the turbulent lords of Île-de-France who were extorting money from merchants and travelers. He relied on Abbot Suger, his closest advisor, who would later become regent of the kingdom and one of the key architects of French monarchical power.

This work of consolidation, carried out during the twenty-nine years of his reign, laid the foundations on which his successors could then gradually extend royal power to the whole of French territory.