Charles VI of France

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to navigationJump to search

Charles VI

Charles VI by the painter

known as the Master of Boucicaut (1412)

King of France 
(more...)

Reign 16 September 1380 – 21 October 1422

Coronation 4 November 1380

Predecessor Charles V

Successor Charles VII[a]

Regents show

See

Born 3 December 1368

Paris, Kingdom of France
 Died 21 October 1422 (aged 53)

Paris, Kingdom of France

Burial 11 November 1422

Saint Denis Basilica

Isabeau of Bavaria
Spouse
 

(m. 1385)

 Isabella, Queen of England

Issue
 Joan, Duchess of Brittany
among others...
 Marie, Prioress of Poissy

 Michelle, Duchess of Burgundy

 Louis, Dauphin of France

 John, Dauphin of France

 Catherine, Queen of England

 Charles VII, King of France

House Valois

Father Charles V of France

Mother Joanna of Bourbon

Charles VI (3 December 1368 – 21 October 1422), nicknamed the Beloved (French: le

Bien-Aimé) and later the Mad (French: le Fol or le Fou), was King of France from 1380
until his death in 1422. He is known for his mental illness and psychotic episodes which
plagued him throughout his life.
He ascended the throne at the young age of eleven, his father leaving behind a
favorable military situation, marked by the reconquest of most of the English
possessions in France. First placed under the regency of his uncles, the Dukes of
Burgundy, Anjou, Berry, and Bourbon, Charles decided in 1388, aged 20, to emancipate
himself. In 1392, while leading a military expedition against the Duchy of Brittany, the
king suffered a first attack of delirium, during which he attacked his own men in the
forest of Le Mans. A few months later, following the Bal des Ardents (January 1393)
where he narrowly escaped death from burning, Charles was again placed under the
regency of his uncles, the dukes of Berry and Burgundy.
From then on, and until his death, the king alternated between periods of mental
instability and lucidity. Power was held by his influential uncles and by his wife,
Queen Isabeau of Bavaria. His younger brother, Louis d'Orléans, also aspired to the
regency and saw his influence grow. The enmity between Louis d'Orléans and John the
Fearless, successor of Philip the Bold as Duke of Burgundy, plunged France into
the Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War of 1407–1435, during which the king found himself
successively controlled by one or the other of the two parties.
In 1415 his army was crushed by the English at the Battle of Agincourt, which led to
Charles' signing of the Treaty of Troyes, which entirely disinherited his son,
the Dauphin and future Charles VII, in favour of his future son-in-law Henry V of
England. Henry was thus made regent and heir to the throne of France, and Charles
married him to his daughter Catherine de Valois. However, Henry died shortly before
Charles, which gave the House of Valois the chance to continue the fight against the
English, leading to their eventual victory and the end of the Hundred Years' War in
1453. He was succeeded in law by his grandson, the infant Henry VI of England, but
Charles' own son crowned himself first in Reims and was regarded as the true heir by
the French.

Contents

 1Early life
 2King of France
o 2.1Regency
o 2.2Mental illness
o 2.3Bal des Ardents
o 2.4Expulsion of the Jews, 1394
o 2.5Struggles for power
o 2.6Wars with Burgundy and England
o 2.7English invasion and death
 3Marriage and issue
 4Films and television
 5See also
 6Notes
 7References
 8Sources
 9External links

Early life[edit]
Charles was born in Paris, in the royal residence of the Hôtel Saint-Pol, on 3 December
1368, the son of King Charles V of the House of Valois and of Joanna of Bourbon.[1] His
elder brothers having died before he was born, Charles was heir to the French throne
and held the title Dauphin of France.

King of France[edit]
Regency[edit]
At his father's death on 16 September 1380, he inherited the throne of France. His
coronation took place on 4 November 1380, at Reims Cathedral.[2] Charles VI was only
11 years old when he was crowned King of France. During his minority, France was
ruled by Charles' uncles, as regents. Although the royal age of majority was 14 (the
"age of accountability" under Roman Catholic canon law), Charles terminated the
regency at the age of 21.
The regents were Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, Louis I, Duke of Anjou, and John,
Duke of Berry – all brothers of Charles V – along with Louis II, Duke of Bourbon,
Charles VI's maternal uncle. Philip took the dominant role during the regency. Louis of
Anjou was fighting for his claim to the Kingdom of Naples after 1382, dying in 1384;
John of Berry was interested mainly in the Languedoc,[3] and not particularly interested in
politics; and Louis of Bourbon was a largely unimportant figure, owing to his personality
(showing signs of mental instability) and status (since he was not the son of a king).
During the rule of his uncles, the financial resources of the kingdom, painstakingly built
up by his father Charles V, were squandered for the personal profit of the dukes, whose
interests were frequently divergent or even opposing. During that time, the power of the
royal administration was strengthened and taxes re-established. The latter policy
represented a reversal of the deathbed decision of the king's father Charles V to repeal
taxes, and led to tax revolts, known as the Harelle. Increased tax revenues were
needed to support the self-serving policies of the king's uncles, whose interests were
frequently in conflict with those of the crown and with each other. The Battle of
Roosebeke (1382), for example, brilliantly won by the royal troops, was prosecuted
solely for the benefit of Philip of Burgundy. The treasury surplus carefully accumulated
by Charles V was quickly squandered.
Charles VI brought the regency to an end in 1388, taking up personal rule. He restored
to power the highly competent advisors of Charles V, known as the Marmousets,[4] who
ushered in a new period of high esteem for the crown. Charles VI was widely referred to
as Charles the Beloved by his subjects.

The coronation of Charles VI

Charles seized by madness in the forest near Le Mans

Mental illness[edit]

A coin of Charles VI, a "double d'or", minted in La Rochelle in 1420

Charles VI's early successes with the Marmousets as his counselors quickly dissipated
as a result of the bouts of psychosis he experienced from his mid-twenties. Mental
illness may have been passed on for several generations through his mother, Joanna of
Bourbon.[5] Although still called by his subjects Charles the Beloved, he became known
also as Charles the Mad.
Charles's first known episode occurred in 1392 when his friend and advisor, Olivier de
Clisson, 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. John V, Duke of Brittany, was unwilling to hand him over, so Charles
prepared a military expedition.
Contemporaries said Charles appeared to be in a "fever" to begin the campaign and
disconnected in his speech. Charles set off with an army on 1 July 1392. The progress
of the army was slow, driving Charles into a frenzy of impatience. As the king and his
escort were traveling through the forest near Le Mans 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
half an hour, repeating his cries.[6] 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, but then fell into a coma; as a
temporary measure, the king was taken to the castle of Creil,[7] where good air and
pleasant surroundings might bring him to his senses. He had killed a knight known as
"The Bastard of Polignac" and several other men. [8]
Periods of mental illness continued throughout the king's life. During one in 1393, he
could not remember his name and did not know he was king. When his wife came to
visit, he asked his servants who she was and ordered them to take care of what she
required so that she would leave him alone.[9] During an episode in 1395–96 he claimed
he was Saint George and that his coat of arms was a lion with a sword thrust through it.
[10]
 At this time, he recognized all the officers of his household, but did not know his wife
nor 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. [11] His later psychotic
episodes were not described in detail, perhaps because of the similarity of his behavior
and delusions. Pope Pius II, who was born during the reign of Charles VI, wrote in
his Commentaries that there were times when Charles thought that he was made of
glass, and thus tried to protect himself in various ways so that he would not break. He
reportedly had iron rods sewn into his clothes so that he would not shatter if he came
into contact with another person.[12] This condition has come to be known as glass
delusion.
Charles VI's secretary, Pierre Salmon, spent much time in discussions with the king
while he was intermittently psychotic. 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.[13]
Bal des Ardents[edit]
Main article: Bal des Ardents

The Bal des Ardents, miniature of 1450–80 showing the dancers' costumes on fire
On 29 January 1393, a masked ball, which later became known as the Bal des
Ardents ("Ball of the Burning Men"), had been organized by Isabeau of Bavaria to
celebrate the wedding of one of her ladies-in-waiting at the Hôtel Saint-Pol. At the
suggestion of Huguet de Guisay, the king and four other lords [14] dressed up as wild
men and they were dancing around. They were dressed "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". [15] At the
suggestion of one Yvain de Foix, the king commanded that the torch-bearers were to
stand at the side of the room. Nonetheless, the king's brother Louis I, Duke of Orléans,
who had arrived late, approached with a lighted torch in order to discover the identity of
the masqueraders, and accidentally set one of them on fire. There was panic as the
flames spread. The Duchess of Berry threw the train of her gown over the king in order
to protect him.[16] Several knights who tried to put out the flames were severely burned.
Four of the wild men perished: Charles de Poitiers, son of the Count of Valentinois;
Huguet de Guisay; Yvain de Foix; and the Count of Joigny. Another – Jean, son of the
Lord of Nantouillet – saved himself by jumping into a dishwater tub. [17]
Expulsion of the Jews, 1394[edit]
On 17 September 1394, Charles suddenly published an ordinance in which he declared,
in substance, that for a long time he had been taking note of the many complaints
provoked by the excesses and misdemeanors of the Jews against Christians, and that
the prosecutors had made several investigations and discovered that the Jews broke
the agreement with the king on many occasions. [citation needed] Therefore, he decreed, as an
irrevocable law and statute, that no Jew should dwell in his domains ("Ordonnances",
vii. 675). According to the Religieux de St. Denis, the king signed this decree at the
insistence of the queen ("Chron. de Charles VI." ii. 119). [18] The decree was not
immediately enforced, a respite being granted to the Jews in order that they have
enough time to sell their property and pay their debts. Those indebted to them were
enjoined to redeem their obligations within a set time; otherwise their pledges held in
pawn were to be sold by the Jews. The provost was to escort the Jews to the frontier of
the kingdom. Subsequently, the king released Christians from their debts.
Struggles for power[edit]
French Monarchy

Capetian Dynasty
(House of Valois)
Philip VI

Children

John II

Philip, Duke of Orléans

John II

Children

Charles V

Louis I of Anjou

John, Duke of Berry

Philip the Bold

Charles V

Children

Charles VI

Louis, Duke of Orléans

Charles VI

Children

Isabella of Valois

Michelle of Valois

Catherine of Valois

Charles VII

Ch
arl
es
VI
I
 Ch
ild
re
n

Louis XI

Charles, Duke of Berry

Louis XI

Children

Charles VIII

Charles VIII

With Charles VI mentally ill, from 1393 his wife Isabeau presided over a regency
council, on which sat the grandees of the kingdom. Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy,
who acted as regent during the king's minority (from 1380 to 1388), was a great
influence on the queen (he had organized the royal marriage during his regency).
Influence progressively shifted to Louis I, Duke of Orléans, the king's brother, who was
not only another contender for power, but, it was suspected, the queen's lover as well.
[19]
 Charles VI's other uncles were less influential during the regency: Louis II of
Naples was still engaged managing the Kingdom of Naples, and John, Duke of Berry,
served as a mediator between the Orléans party (what would become the Armagnacs)
and the Burgundy party (Bourguignons). The rivalry would increase bit by bit and
eventually result in outright civil war.
The new regents dismissed the various advisers and officials Charles had appointed.
On the death of Philip the Bold in April 1404, his son John the Fearless took over the
political aims of his father, and the feud with Louis escalated. John, who was less linked
to Isabeau, again lost influence at court.
Wars with Burgundy and England[edit]
In 1407, Louis of Orléans was murdered in the rue Vieille du Temple in Paris. John did
not deny responsibility, claiming that Louis was a tyrant who squandered money. Louis'
son Charles, the new Duke of Orléans, turned to his father-in-law, Bernard VII, Count of
Armagnac, for support against John the Fearless. This resulted in the Armagnac-
Burgundian Civil War, which lasted from 1407 until 1435, beyond Charles' reign, though
the war with the English was still in progress.
With the English taking over much of the country, John the Fearless sought to end the
feud with the royal family by negotiating with the Dauphin Charles, the king's heir. They
met at the bridge at Montereau on 10 September 1419, but during the meeting, John
was killed by Tanneguy du Chastel, a follower of the Dauphin. John's successor, Philip
the Good, the new Duke of Burgundy, threw in his lot with the English.
English invasion and death[edit]
Charles VI's reign was marked by the continuing conflict with the English, known as
the Hundred Years' War. An early attempt at peace occurred in 1396 when Charles'
daughter, the almost seven-year-old Isabella of Valois, married the 29-year-old Richard
II of England. By 1415, however, the feud between the French royal family and
the House of Burgundy led to chaos and anarchy throughout France, a situation
that Henry V of England was eager to take advantage of. Henry led an invasion that
culminated in the defeat of the French army at the Battle of Agincourt in October.
In May 1420, Henry V and Charles VI signed the Treaty of Troyes, which named Henry
as Charles' successor, and stipulated that Henry's heirs would succeed him on the
throne of France. It disinherited the Dauphin Charles, then only 17 years old. (In 1421, it
was implied in Burgundian propaganda that the young Charles was illegitimate.) The
treaty also betrothed Charles VI's daughter, Catherine of Valois, to Henry (see English
Kings of France). Disinheriting the Dauphin in favor of Henry was a blatant act against
the interests of the French aristocracy, supported by the Duke of Burgundy.
The Dauphin who had declared himself regent for his father when the Duke of Burgundy
invaded Paris and captured the king, had established a court at Bourges.[20]
Charles VI died on 21 October 1422 in Paris, at the Hôtel Saint-Pol.[21] He was interred
in Saint Denis Basilica, where his wife Isabeau of Bavaria would join him after her death
in September 1435.
Henry V died just a few weeks before him, in August 1422, leaving an infant son, who
became King Henry VI of England. Therefore, according to the Treaty of Troyes, with
the death of Charles VI, little Henry became King of France. His coronation as such was
in Paris (held by the English since 1418) at the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris on 26
December 1431.
The son disinherited by Charles VI, the Dauphin Charles, continued to fight to regain his
kingdom. In 1429, Joan of Arc arrived on the scene. She led his forces to victory against
the English, and took him to be crowned in Reims Cathedral as King Charles VII of
France on 17 July 1429. He became known as "Charles the Victorious" and was able to
restore the French line to the throne of France by defeating the English in 1450. [22]

Marriage and issue[edit]

Charles VI married Isabeau of Bavaria (c. 1371 – 24 September 1435) on 17 July 1385.
They had:

Name Birth Death Notes

Charles, Dauphin of 25 September 28 December
Died young. First Dauphin.
France 1386 1386

Jeanne 14 June 1388 1390 Died young.

Married (1) Richard II, King of England, in

9 November 13 September 1396. No issue.[23]
Isabella
1389 1409 Married (2) Charles, Duke of Orléans, in 1406.
Had issue.

24 January 27 September Married John V, Duke of Brittany, in 1396. Had

Jeanne
1391 1433 issue.

Charles, Dauphin of 6 February 13 January Died young. Second Dauphin. Engaged

France 1392 1401 to Margaret of Burgundy after his birth.

22 August 19 August Never married – became an abbess. No issue.

Marie
1393 1438 Died of the Plague

11 January Married Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in

Michelle 8 July 1422
1395 1409.[24] Had no surviving issue.

22 January 18 December Married Margaret of Burgundy. No issue. Third

Louis, Dauphin
1397 1415 Dauphin.

31 August Married Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut, in

John, Dauphin 5 April 1417
1398 1415. No issue. Fourth Dauphin.

Married (1) Henry V, King of England, in 1420.

27 October 3 January
Catherine Had issue.
1401 1437
Married (?) (2) Owen Tudor. Had issue.

The fifth Dauphin became Charles VII, King of

22 February
Charles VII of France 21 July 1461 France, after his father's death.
1403
Married Marie of Anjou in 1422. Had issue.
 10 November November
Philip Died young.
1407 1407

Charles had a mistress, Odette de Champdivers.[25] They had:

 Marguerite, bâtarde de France (d. ca. 1458).[26]

Charles VI Family

Films and television[edit]

 Harcourt Williams in Henry V (1944)
 Paul Scofield in Henry V (1989)
 Lambert Wilson in The Hollow Crown (2012)
 Thibault de Montalembert in The King (2019)
 Alex Lawther in The Last Duel (2021)

See also[edit]
 Henry of Marle (died 1418)

Notes[edit]
1. ^ or Henry VI of England (disputed)

References[edit]
1. ^ Roux 2009, p. 244.
2. ^ Sumption 2009, p. 397.
 3. ^ Vaughan, 40–41
4. ^ Vaughn, 42.
5. ^ Earenfight 2013, p. 196.
6. ^ W. H. Jervis, A History of France: from the Earliest Times to the Fall of the Second Empire
in 1870, (London: John Murray, 1884), 228, §5; Jean Juvenal des Ursins, Histoire de Charles
VI, Roy de France, (Paris: A. Desrez, 1841), 377; Michaud, J. F and L. G., Biographie
universelle, ancienne et moderne, 85 vols., (Paris: L. G. Michaud, 1813), 8:114 sub Charles
VI.
7. ^ Adams 2014, p. 36.
8. ^ Denieul-Cormier 1980, p. 195.
9. ^ R. C. Famiglietti, Royal Intrigue: Crisis at the Court of Charles VI, 1392–1420, New York,
1986, p. 4, citing the chronicle of the Religieux de Saint-Denis, ed. Bellaguet, II, pp. 86–88.
10. ^ R. C. Famiglietti, Royal Intrigue: Crisis at the Court of Charles VI, 1392–1420, New York,
1986, p. 5, citing the chronicle of the Religieux de Saint-Denis, ed. Bellaguet, II, pp. 404–05.
11. ^ R. C. Famiglietti, Royal Intrigue: Crisis at the Court of Charles VI, 1392–1420, New York,
1986, p. 6, citing the chronicle of the Religieux de Saint-Denis, ed. Bellaguet, III, p. 348
12. ^ Enea Silvio Piccolomini (Papa Pio II), I Commentarii, ed. L. Totaro, Milano, 1984, I, p. 1056.
13. ^ "Pierre Salmon's Dialogues – Wikicommons".
14. ^ Froissart's Chronicles, ed. T. Johnes, II (1855), p. 550
15. ^ Barbara Tuchman, A Distant Mirror, 1978, Alfred A Knopf Ltd. See the chronicle of the
Religieux de Saint-Denis, ed. Bellaguet, II, pp. 64–71, where the squire's name is given
correctly as de Guisay.
16. ^ Froissart's Chronicles, ed. T. Johnes, II (1855), pp. 550–52
17. ^ Froissart's Chronicles, ed. T. Johnes, II (1855), p. 550. Note that Froissart and the Religieux
de Saint-Denis differ as to when the four men died. Huguet de Guisay had held the office of
cupbearer of the king.
18. ^ History of the reign of Charles VI, titled Chronique de Religieux de Saint-Denys, contenant
le regne de Charles VI de 1380 a 1422, encompasses the king's full reign in six volumes.
Originally written in Latin, the work was translated to French in six volumes by L. Bellaguet
between 1839 and 1852.
19. ^ Alban Dignat, 23 novembre 1407: Assassinat dans la rue Vieille du
Temple, herodote.net Archived 11 December 2006 at the Wayback Machine
20. ^ R.C. Famiglietti, Royal Intrigue: Crisis at the Court of Charles VI, 1392–1420, New York,
1986, Chapter X.
21. ^ William W. Kibler; Grover A. Zinn (1995).  Medieval France: An Encyclopedia. Psychology
Press. p.  379. ISBN 978-0-8240-4444-2.
22. ^ Chartier, Jean, Chronique de Charles VII, Roi de France, publié avec notes par Vallet de
Viriville, Paris 1858
23. ^ Jeffrey Hamilton, The Plantagenets: History of a Dynasty, (Continuum, 2010), 205.
24. ^ Jonathan Sumption, Cursed Kings: The Hundred Years War IV, (Faber and Faber Ltd.,
2015), 103.
25. ^ Gaude-Ferragu 2016, p. 34.
26. ^ de Viriville 1859, p. 176.

Sources[edit]
 Adams, Tracy (2014). Christine de Pizan and the Fight for France. Penn
State University Press.
 Denieul-Cormier, Anne (1980). Wise and Foolish Kings: The First House of
Valois, 1328–1498. Doubleday.[ISBN  missing]
 Earenfight, Theresa (2013). Queenship in Medieval Europe. Palgrave
Macmillan.[ISBN  missing]
  Gaude-Ferragu, Murielle (2016). Queenship in Medieval France, 1300–1500.
Translated by Krieger, Angela. Palgrave Macmillan. [ISBN  missing]
 Roux, Simone (2009). Paris in the Middle Ages. Translated by McNamara, Jo
Ann. University of Pennsylvania Press.[ISBN  missing]
 Sumption, Jonathan (2009). The Hundred Years War: Divided Houses.
Vol. III. University of Pennsylvania Press.[ISBN  missing]
 de Viriville, Vallet (1859). "Odette ou Odinette de Champdivers Était-elle fille
d'un Marchand de Chevaux? Notes historiques sur ce
personnage". Bibliothèque de l'École des chartes. Quatrième Série (in
French). Librairie Droz. 5: 171–81.
 Famiglietti, R.C., Royal Intrigue: Crisis at the Court of Charles VI, 1392–1420,
New York; AMS Press, 1986.[ISBN  missing]
 Famiglietti, R.C., Tales of the Marriage Bed from Medieval France (1300–
1500), Providence; Picardy Press, 1992.[ISBN  missing]

External links[edit]
 "Biography of Charles VI the mad of France (1368–1422)" . guusbeltman.nl.
Retrieved 6 November 2015.
 Britannica, eds. (20 July 1998). "Charles VI king of France". Encyclopædia
Britannica. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
 "Charles VI". Shakespeareandhistory.com.
 Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Charles VI. (King of France)"  . Encyclopædia
Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 919–920.

Charles VI of France
House of Valois
Cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty
Born: 3 December 1368 Died: 21 October 1422

Regnal titles

King of France Succeeded by

16 September 1380 – 21 October 1422 Charles VII
Preceded by contested by Henry II
Charles V
Dauphin of Viennois Succeeded by
3 December 1368 – 26 September 1386 Charles III
Preceded by Dauphin of Viennois Succeeded by
Charles III 28 December 1386 – 6 February 1392 Charles IV