Louis VII

   King of France (q.v.) from 1137-1180; leader of one of the main contingents of the Second Crusade (q.v.). The French army passed through Constantinople (q.v.) in 1147, forcing Manuel I Komnenos (q.v.) to remain in the city for fear that French troops might storm its walls. Roger II of Sicily (qq.v.) used the opportunity to capture Kerkyra (q.v.), and to pillage Corinth and Thebes (qq.v.). An account of this Crusade by Louis VII's chaplain, Odo of Deuil (q.v.), confirms the religious hostility toward Byzantium (q.v.) within the ranks of Louis VII's army.