On this day 944 years ago, on December 1, 1081 (October 28, 1081), King Louis VI of France was born. December 1, 1081 - King Louis of France (Louis TheFat, French for Louise Gros, 1081-1137) was born. King of France (reigned 1108-1137). Appointed successor by his father Philip I in 1098, he was the de facto ruler long before Philip's death in 1108. He soon realized that his first priority was to bring the unruly nobles who owned the royal domains to heel. During his reign, most of his time was spent fighting against the nobles. He practiced appeasement and maintained good relations with the church and priests. Louis VI worked to consolidate the monarchy of France. From 1109 to 1112, he fought King Henry I of England. In France, he successfully fought against the independent-leaning princes. Louis VI granted the city's inhabitants autonomy, enabling them to side with him in his struggles against the nobility. Relying on the support of the citizens and the church, Louis demolished the princes' castles one by one and forced the stationing of guards loyal to the royal family on their territories. By the time of Louis VI's death, the rule of the Capetian dynasty in France had been relatively stable. From 1130, Syre, abbot of St. Denis, became Louis VI's main advisor. Syre was effective in expanding the royal power and wrote a biography of Louis. Louis VI's body is also buried in the Abbey of St. Denis. Comments: Nicknamed Fat Louis