Charles VI of France

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

Charles VI of France

Charles VI (b. 3 December 1368 – d. 21 October 1422), called the Well-loved and the Mad ( or le Fou), was the King of France

List of French monarchs

The monarchs of France ruled, first as kings and later as emperors , from the Middle Ages to 1870. There is some disagreement as to when France came into existence....
from 1380 to 1399, as a member of the House of Valois.

Early life
He was born in Paris, the son of King Charles V

Charles V of France

Charles V , called the Wise, was List of French monarchs from 1364 to his death and a member of the House of Valois. His reign marked a high point for France during the Hundred Years' War, with his armies recovering much of the territory ceded to England at the Treaty of Br?tigny....
and Jeanne de Bourbon. At the age of eleven, he was crowned King of France in 1380 in the cathedral at Reims

Reims

The city of Reims lies in the Champagne-Ardenne region in northeastern France 129 km east-northeast of Paris.Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
. He married Isabeau of Bavaria

Isabeau of Bavaria

Discussion

Ask a question about 'Charles VI of France'

Start a new discussion about 'Charles VI of France'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Encyclopedia

Charles VI (b. 3 December 1368 – d. 21 October 1422), called the Well-loved and the Mad ( or le Fou), was the King of France

List of French monarchs

Early life

He was born in Paris, the son of King Charles V

Charles V of France

Reims

Isabeau of Bavaria

Isabeau de Bavi?re was a Queen Consort of France after marrying Charles VI of France, a member of the Valois Dynasty, on July 17, 1385. She assumed a prominent role in public affairs during the disastrous later years of her husband's reign....
in 1385. Until he took complete charge as king in 1388, France was ruled primarily by his uncle, Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy

Philip II, Duke of Burgundy

Philip the Bold , also Philip II, Duke of Burgundy , was the fourth son of King John II of France and his wife, Bonne of Luxembourg. By his marriage to Margaret III, Countess of Flanders, he also became Philip II, Count of Flanders, Philip IV, Count of Artois and Philip IV, Count Palatine of Burgundy....
.

Charles VI was known both as Charles the Well-loved and later as Charles the Mad, since, beginning in his mid-twenties, he experienced bouts of psychosis

Psychosis

Psychosis , with adjective psychotic, literally means abnormal condition of the mind, and is a generic psychiatry term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality"....
. These fits of madness would recur for the rest of his life. Based on his symptoms, he probably suffered from schizophrenia

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia , from the Ancient Greek Root schizein and phren, phren- is a psychiatry diagnosis that describes a mental disorder characterized by abnormalities in the perception or expression of reality....
.

Madness

Charles's first known fit occurred in 1392 when his friend and advisor, Olivier de Clisson

Olivier de Clisson

Olivier de Clisson , nicknamed "The Butcher", was a Brittany soldier, the son of the Olivier de Clisson who was put to death in 1343 on the suspicion of having wished to give up Nantes to the England....
, was the victim of an attempted murder. Although Clisson survived, Charles was determined to punish the would-be assassin Pierre de Craon who had taken refuge in Brittany

Brittany

Brittany is a former independent Celtic nations monarchy and duchy, now incorporated into France. It is also, more generally, the name of the cultural area whose limits correspond to the historic province and independent duchy....
. Contemporaries said Charles appeared to be in a "fever" to begin the campaign and appeared disconnected in his speech. Charles set off with an army on 1 July 1392. The progress of the army was slow, nearly driving Charles into a frenzy of impatience.

While travelling through a forest on a hot August morning, a barefoot leper dressed in rags rushed up to the King's horse and grabbed his bridle. "Ride no further, noble King!" he yelled. "Turn back! You are betrayed!" The king's escorts beat the man back but did not arrest him, and he followed the procession for a half-hour, repeating his cries.

The company emerged from the forest at noon. A page who was drowsy from the sun dropped the king's lance, which clanged loudly against a steel helmet carried by another page. Charles shuddered, drew his sword and yelled "Forward against the traitors! They wish to deliver me to the enemy!" The king spurred his horse and began swinging his sword at his companions, fighting until one of his chamberlains and a group of soldiers were able to grab him from his mount and lay him on the ground. He lay still and did not react, falling into a coma. The king killed a knight named the bastard of Polignac and several other men (the exact number of victims differs in the chronicles from the time).

in 1420.]] The king continued to suffer from periods of mental illness throughout his life. During one attack in 1393, Charles could not remember his name and did not know he was king, and when his wife came to visit he asked his servants who she was and ordered them to take care of whatever she required so that she would leave him alone. During an episode of 1395-1396, he claimed that his name was George and that his coat of arms was a lion with a sword thrust through it. At this time, he recognized all the officers of his household but did not know his wife or his children. Sometimes he ran wildly through the corridors of his Parisian residence, the Hôtel Saint-Pol, and to keep him inside the entrances were walled up. In 1405 he refused to bathe or change his clothes for five months. His later psychotic episodes were not described in detail probably because of the similarity of his behavior and delusions. Pope Pius II, who was born in the middle of the reign of Charles VI, wrote in his Commentaries that there were times when Charles thought that he was made of glass, and this caused him to protect himself in various ways so that he would not break.

The Bal des Ardents

In January 1393, Queen Isabeau de Bavière organized a party to celebrate the marriage of one of her ladies-in-waiting. The King and five other lords dressed up as wild men

Woodwose

The Woodwose or Wildman of the Woods is a mythological figure that appears in the artwork and literature of medieval Europe. Images of woodwoses appear in the carved and painted roof bosses where intersecting ogee Vault s meet in the Canterbury Cathedral, in positions where one is also likely to encounter the vegetal Green Man....
and danced about chained to one another. They were "in costumes of linen cloth sewn onto their bodies and soaked in resinous wax or pitch to hold a covering of frazzled hemp, so that they appeared shaggy & hairy from head to foot". In view of the obvious danger of fire, the torch-bearers were told to stand at the side of the room. Nonetheless, the King's brother, Louis of Valois, Duke of Orléans

Louis of Valois, Duke of Orléans

Louis I of Valois was Duke of Orl?ans from 1392 to his death. He was also Count of Valois, Duke of Touraine , Count of Blois , Counts and dukes of Angouleme , P?rigord, Dreux and Soissons....
, who had arrived late, approached with a lighted torch in order to discover the identity of the masqueraders, and he accidentally lit one of them on fire. There was panic as the fire spread. The Duchess of Berry, to save a dancer who had come near her to intrigue and tease her, threw the train of her gown over him, and it was soon revealed to her that the life she had saved was the king's. Four of the other men perished. This incident became known as the Bal des Ardents (the "Ball of the Burning Men".)

Struggles for power

With the King mad, his uncles Philip the Bold

Philip II, Duke of Burgundy

Duke of Burgundy

Duke of Burgundy was a title borne by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, a small portion of traditional lands of Burgundians west of river Sa?ne which in 843 was allotted to Charles the Bald's West Franks....
and John, Duke of Berry

John, Duke of Berry

John of Valois, the Magnificent, was Duke of Berry and Rulers of Auvergne and Count of Poitiers and Montpensier. He was the third son of King John II of France and Bonne of Luxemburg; his brothers were Charles V of France, Louis I of Naples and Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy....
took control and dismissed Charles's advisers and various other officials he had appointed. Another contender for power was the King's brother, Louis I de Valois, Duke of Orleans. This was to be the start of a series of major feuds among the princes of royal blood which would cause much chaos and conflict in France even beyond Charles's reign. Allegations of an affair between Louis of Orléans and Queen Isabeau were soon spreading. As a result, the legitimacy of her children, especially the heir to the throne

Charles VII of France

File:Charles VII Franc a cheval 1422 1423.jpgCharles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was List of French monarchs from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent ruled much of France from Paris....
, was often questioned. Furthermore, the Duke of Burgundy accused Louis of wasting state money on personal pleasures rather than on supporting or defending the realm.

Philip the Bold's death in April 1404 did not bring an end to Louis' problems. John the Fearless, the new Duke of Burgundy took over and the feud escalated. In 1407 the Duke of Orléans was murdered in the streets of Paris. John did not deny responsibility, claiming that Louis was a tyrant who squandered money.

Louis' son, Charles, new Duke of Orléans, turned to his father-in-law, Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac

Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac

Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac was the Count of Charolais, Count of Armagnac, and Constable of France. He was the son of John II of Armagnac and Jeanne de P?rigord....
, for support. This resulted in the Armagnac-Burgundian Civil War

Armagnac-Burgundian Civil War

The Armagnac-Burgundian Civil War was a French civil war between the Armagnac and Burgundian factions from 1407 to 1435. It occurred while France was already being ravaged by the Hundred Years' War against the English and the wars surrounding the Western Schism of the papacy....
.

Charles VI's secretary Pierre Salmon spent much time in discussions with the king while he was suffering from his intermittent but incapacitating psychosis. In an effort to find a cure for the king's illness, stabilize the turbulent political situation, and secure his own future, Salmon supervised the production of two distinct versions of the beautifully illuminated guidebooks to good kingship known as Pierre Salmon's Dialogues.

The English invasion

Charles VI's reign was marked by the continuing conflict with the English known as the Hundred Years' War

Hundred Years' War

The Hundred Years' War was a prolonged conflict lasting from 1337 to 1453 between two royal houses for the French throne, which was vacant with the extinction of the senior House of Capet line of French kings....
. An early attempt at peace occurred in 1396 when Charles' daughter, the not quite seven-year-old Isabella of Valois

Isabella of Valois

Isabella of Valois was a Princess of France, daughter of Charles VI of France and Isabella of Bavaria-Ingolstadt. She was Queen consort of Richard II of England from 1396 to 1400....
, married the 29-year-old Richard II of England

Richard II of England

Richard II was the eighth King of England of the House of Plantagenet. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III of England....
.

By 1415, however, the feud between the Royal family and the house of Burgundy had led to chaos and anarchy throughout France. Taking advantage, Henry V of England

Henry V of England

Henry V was one of the most significant English warrior kings of the 15th century. He was born at Monmouth, Wales, in the tower above the gatehouse of Monmouth Castle, and reigned as King of England from 1413 to 1422....
led an invasion which culminated in October when the French army was defeated at the Battle of Agincourt

Battle of Agincourt

The Battle of Agincourt was an English victory against a much larger French army in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred on Friday 25 October 1415 ...
.

With the English taking over the country, John the Fearless sought to end the feud with the Royal family by negotiating with the Dauphin

Charles VII of France

Montereau-Fault-Yonne

Montereau-Fault-Yonne, or simply Montereau, is a commune in France in France, chief town of a canton in France, in the southeastern part of the Seine-et-Marne d?partement in France....
on the 10th of September 1419 but in the course of the meeting the Duke was killed by Tanneguy du Châtel

Tanneguy du Chastel

Tanneguy du Chastel, or Tanguy du Ch?tel was a French military leader of the Hundred Years' War....
, a follower of the Dauphin. John's successor, Philip the Good, threw in his lot with the English.

(Philip the Good would later make peace with the Dauphin, now Charles VII, with the Treaty of Arras

Congress of Arras

The Congress of Arras was a diplomatic congregation established in Arras in 1435 between representatives of England, France, and Duchy of Burgundy....
when, under the inspiration of Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc

Saint Joan of Arc also known as the Maid of Orleans, is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, claiming divine guidance, and was indirectly responsible for the coronation of Charles VII of Franc...
, the tide of the war turned in favour of the French side. Joan was burned at the stake when Burgundy handed her over to the English.)

In 1420, King Charles signed the Treaty of Troyes

Treaty of Troyes

The Treaty of Troyes was an agreement that Henry V of England would inherit the throne of France upon the death of King Charles VI of France. It was signed in Troyes, France in 1420....
which recognized Henry of England as his successor, disinherited his son the Dauphin Charles

Charles VII of France

Catherine of Valois

Catherine of Valois was the Queen consort of England from 1420 until 1422. She was the daughter of King Charles VI of France, wife of King Henry V of England, mother of King Henry VI of England, and through her secret marriage with Owen Tudor, the grandmother of King Henry VII of England....
, to Henry (see English Kings of France).

Many historians have misinterpreted this treaty and the disinheriting of the Dauphin Charles. The Dauphin sealed his fate, in the eyes of the king, by committing treason: he declared himself regent, usurping royal authority, and refused to obey the king's order to return to Paris. It is important to remember that when the Treaty of Troyes was finalized in May 1420, the Dauphin Charles was only 17 years old. He was a weak figure who was easily manipulated by his advisors and even his own mother despised him.

Charles VI died in 1422 at Paris and is interred with his wife Isabeau de Bavière in Saint Denis Basilica

Saint Denis Basilica

The Basilica of Saint Denis is the List of cemeteries of almost all the List of French monarchs since Clovis I . Saved and restored by the architect Viollet le Duc, the basilica is located in Saint-Denis, now a northern suburb of Paris....
. Both their grandson, the one-year-old Henry VI of England

Henry VI of England

Henry VI was Kingdom of England 1422?1461 and then 1470?1471, and King of France as the de jure monarch from 1422 to 1429....
, and their son, Charles VII

Charles VII of France

Joan of Arc

Saint Joan of Arc also known as the Maid of Orleans, is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, claiming divine guidance, and was indirectly responsible for the coronation of Charles VII of Franc...
.

Charles VI appears to have passed on his mental illness to his grandson Henry, whose inability to govern led England to a civil strife of its own known as the Wars of the Roses

Wars of the Roses

The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars fought in England between supporters of the Houses of House of Lancaster and House of York....
.

Ancestors

Marriage and Issue

Charles VI married:

Isabeau of Bavaria

Isabeau of Bavaria

Name	Birth	Death	Notes
Charles, Dauphin	25 September 1386	28 December 1386	Died young. First Dauphin.
Joan	14 June 1412	1429	Died young.
Isabella Isabella of Valois Isabella of Valois was a Princess of France, daughter of Charles VI of France and Isabella of Bavaria-Ingolstadt. She was Queen consort of Richard II of England from 1396 to 1400....	9 November 1389	13 September 1409	Married (1) Richard II, King of England Richard II of England Richard II was the eighth King of England of the House of Plantagenet. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III of England.... (1367 - 1400) in 1396. No issue. Married (2) Charles, Duke of Orleans Charles, duc d'Orléans Charles of Valois was Duke of Orl?ans from 1407, following the murder of his father, Louis of Valois, Duke of Orl?ans on the orders of John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy.... (1394 - 1465) in 1406. Had issue.
Joan Joan of France (1391-1433) Joan of France was a daughter of Charles VI of France and Isabeau of Bavaria.She was a sister of Charles VII of France, Catherine of Valois who married Henry V of England and was mother of Henry VI of England, Isabella of Valois who was also a Queen of England and Michelle of Valois, who married Philip III, Duke of Burgundy....	24 January 1391	27 September 1433	Married John VI, Duke of Brittany John VI, Duke of Brittany John VI the Wise , was duke of Brittany, count of Montfort, and titular earl of Richmond, from 1399 to his death. He was son of Duke John V, Duke of Brittany and Joanna of Navarre.... (1389 - 1442) in 1396. Had issue.
Charles of France, Dauphin	6 February 1392	13 January , 1401	Died young. Second Dauphin.
Mary	22 August 1393	19 August 1438	Never married - became an abbess Abbess An abbess is the female religious superior, or Mother Superior, of an abbey of nuns.In Roman Catholic and Anglican abbeys, the mode of election, position, rights, and authority of an abbess correspond generally with those of an abbot.... . No issue. Died of the Plague
Michelle Michelle of Valois Mich?le de Valois was a daughter of Charles VI of France and Isabella of Bavaria-Ingolstadt. In June, 1409 she married Philip III, Duke of Burgundy....	11 January 1395	8 July 1422	Married Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy (1396 - 1467) in 1409.
Louis, Dauphin Louis, Dauphin of France (1397-1415) Louis, Dauphin of France and Duke of Guyenne was a younger son of Charles VI of France and Isabella of Bavaria-Ingolstadt. He was the third child of his parents to hold the title Dauphin of France , holding it from the death of his older brother in 1401, when he was likewise made Duke of Aquitaine ....	22 January 1397	18 December 1415	Married Margaret of Burgundy Margaret of Burgundy (1393-1441) Margaret of Burgundy was the daughter of John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy, and Margaret of Bavaria. Her maternal grandparents were Albert I, Duke of Bavaria and Margaret of Brieg.... . Third Dauphin.
John, Dauphin	31 August 1398	5 April 1417	Married Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut Jacqueline of Wittelsbach was Duchess of Bavaria-Straubing, Count of Hainaut and Count of Holland from 1417 to 1432.She was the only daughter of William VI, Count of Holland from his marriage with Margaret of Burgundy, daughter of Margaret III of Flanders and Philip the Bold.... (1401 - 1436) in 1415. No issue. Fourth Dauphin.
Catherine Catherine of Valois Catherine of Valois was the Queen consort of England from 1420 until 1422. She was the daughter of King Charles VI of France, wife of King Henry V of England, mother of King Henry VI of England, and through her secret marriage with Owen Tudor, the grandmother of King Henry VII of England....	27 October 1401	3 January 1438	Married (1) Henry V, King of England Henry V of England Henry V was one of the most significant English warrior kings of the 15th century. He was born at Monmouth, Wales, in the tower above the gatehouse of Monmouth Castle, and reigned as King of England from 1413 to 1422.... (1387 - 1422) in 1420. Had issue. Married (2) Owen Tudor Owen Tudor *Owain ap Meredydd, or Meredudd* was a Welsh soldier and courtier, descended from the Welsh prince Rhys ap Gruffudd, "The Lord Rhys".... (1400 - 1461). Had issue.
Charles VII, King of France Charles VII of France File:Charles VII Franc a cheval 1422 1423.jpgCharles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was List of French monarchs from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent ruled much of France from Paris....	22 February 1403	21 July 1461	Married Marie of Anjou Marie of Anjou Marie of Anjou was the Queen consort of King Charles VII of France from 1422 to 1461.... (1404 - 1463) in 1422. Had issue. The fifth Dauphin.
Philip	10 November 1407	10 November 1407	Died young.

He also had one illegitimate child by Odette de Champdivers

Odette de Champdivers

Odette de Champdivers, La Petite Reine was the mistress of Charles VI of France and previously his brother, the Louis of Valois, Duke of Orl?ans....
, Marguerite bâtarde de France

Marguerite bâtarde de France

Marguerite de Valois, la demoiselle de Belleville, also known as Marguerite b?tarde de France was the Illegitimacy daughter of Charles VI of France and his beloved Mistress Odette de Champdivers....
(d. ca.1458).

Cultural References

The Romantic French poet Gérard de Nerval

Gérard de Nerval

G?rard de Nerval was the nom-de-plume of the France poet, essayist and translator G?rard Labrunie, one of the most essentially Romanticism French poets....
wrote a poem dedicated to the king: "Rêverie de Charles VI".

The novel The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge
The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge

The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge was Rainer Maria Rilke's only novel. It was written while Rilke lived in Paris, and was published in 1910 in literature....
by Rainer Maria Rilke

Rainer Maria Rilke

Rainer Maria Rilke is considered one of the German language's greatest 20th century poets. His haunting images focus on the difficulty of communion with the ineffable in an age of disbelief, solitude, and profound anxiety ? themes that tend to position him as a transitional figure between the traditional and the modernist poets....
describes the old age of Charles VI at length.

The story "Hop-Frog

Hop-Frog

"Hop-Frog" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1849. The title character is a dwarf taken from his homeland who becomes the jester of a king particularly fond of practical jokes....
, or The Eight Chained Ourang-Outangs

Orangutan

The orangutans are a species of Hominidae. Known for their intelligence, they live in trees and they are the largest living arboreal animal. They have longer arms than other great apes, and their hair is reddish-brown, instead of the brown or black hair typical of other great apes....
" by Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe was an American poet, Short story writer, Editing and Literary criticism, and is considered part of the American Romanticism. Best known for his tales of Mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the Detective fiction genre....
involves a scene strikingly similar to the Bal des Ardents. (Full text at Wikisource)

The Edith Pattou novel East
East (novel)

East is a 2003 novel by the author Edith Pattou. It is an adaptation of an old Norway folk tale entitled "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" and is an American Library Association Top Ten Best Book for Young adult literature....
mentions Charles of France's second son, Charles, to be the white bear.

King Charles VI, and his madness, are mentioned at length in the historical novel Het Woud der Verwachting/Le Foret de Longue Attente/In a Dark Wood Wandering (1949) by Hella S. Haasse.

dedicates a poem to King Charles VI "Prière pour le roi Charles" in which she pleas for the health of her king.

Sources

Famiglietti, R.C., Royal Intrigue: Crisis at the Court of Charles VI, 1392-1420, New York; AMS Press, 1986.
Famiglietti, R.C., Tales of the Marriage Bed from Medieval France (1300-1500), Providence; Picardy Press, 1992.
Tuchman, Barbara, A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century, New York; Ballantine Books, 1978.

|- |- |- |- |-