At twelve he became King of France, and at twenty-four he showed clear signs of insanity. His rule brought the country into a double crisis. On the one hand - the Hundred Years War with England, on the other - a ruler out of his mind.
Despite the fact that in his youth Charles VI was described as kind, energetic and generous, in adulthood, the nickname Mad was firmly entrenched in him. The reason for this was the king's mental disorder. Every year the disease progressed, and the moments of enlightenment became less and less frequent. Outbreaks of inappropriate behavior subsequently made him only the de facto ruler of France. The real power was concentrated in the hands of the king's wife and his brother - Louis of Orleans. Later, the Burgundians entered the struggle for power, which led to a confrontation between Armagnacs and Bourguignons.
The first serious attack of the disease overtook Charles VI at the age of twenty-four. Not really recovering from the fever, which was accompanied by a prolonged fever, he went on a hike. There he suddenly rushed with a sword at the nearest soldiers. Before being tied up, he managed to kill five knights.
The king's increased irritability, agitation, painful sensitivity to sounds - all this alarmed the court doctors. Michel Pentuan (monk-chronicler), who followed Charles on the campaign, wrote: "The king, if not in his right mind, uttered crazy words, and between them he made gestures indecent for royal dignity."
After this attack, the king was unconscious. He practically did not move, could not recognize anyone, and his speech was completely incoherent. After a while, the king began to recover, but flatly refused to conduct state affairs. He entrusted power to his uncles, who almost completely plundered the royal treasury. The king himself preferred to have fun playing tennis and hunting ducks.
A year after the incident on the campaign, Charles VI had to endure an event that went down in history under the name "The Ball of Flames". At the party organized by the queen, a joke show was to be performed. The participants in this show were six young aristocrats, including the king. Interestingly, they were disguised as savages' clothes made of linen soaked in resin. This allowed an unexpected spark from a torch that fell on one of the dancers to instantly ignite the costume.
As a result of the rapid spread of fire from burns, four people in disguise died. The incident inflicted an indelible trauma on the king's psyche. Literally six months later, Karl became aggressive, denied his involvement in the royal family and furiously wiped the image of the royal coat of arms from the tableware. He did not recognize his wife at all.
After some time, the king's condition returned to normal. As a token of gratitude to God for his recovery, he made a pilgrimage to Mount Saint-Michel and ordered the founding of a chapel there.
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Two years later, in 1395, the king suffered another clouding of his mind. He demoted and expelled his doctor, and in an agitated state to the point of exhaustion rushed about the palace of Saint-Paul, shouting that he was fleeing from his enemies. He again denied that he belonged to the royal dynasty and tried to destroy the images of his coat of arms.
In attempts to cure the king, they even resorted to the services of sorcerers. Unable to succeed, they came to the conclusion that Charles VI was possessed by evil spirits. Within two years, using magic spells and a certain tincture, demons were expelled from the king. Nothing helped, and the magicians were sent to execution.
Despite all possible treatments, the attacks continued systematically. Charles VI, already sensing their approach, asked that the knives be taken from him and all the courtiers.
In intervals of clear consciousness, which became less and less over the years, he tried to conduct state affairs. The king negotiated and even in 1412 led a military campaign against the bourguignons who had sided with the British.
But sometimes the king's behavior became completely uncontrollable. Once he had a fancy that it was made of glass. Karl was completely convinced that if touched, he would be shattered. And therefore, the king did not allow himself to be touched, he inserted iron bars into his clothes and defended his person in every possible way. For the same reason, Charles VI refused to wash, shave and change clothes for several months. The result is skin disease and lice.
The court doctors, who had lost all hope, had to resort to "extreme psychotherapy" with the help of severe fright. To implement the plan, a group of people with black faces was secretly brought to the palace - "under the devil." The action had a certain effect - the king agreed to be washed and changed.
In 1417, he ordered his wife to dissolve her entire court, after which he expelled the courtiers. The reason for this decision was the behavior of one of the Queen's maids of honor. According to the king, she behaved inappropriately. Her place was taken by Odette de Chamdiver, the daughter of a horse merchant, who served as both nurse and mistress under the king.
At the end of his life, Charles VI suffered several attacks of malaria. During the second, in 1422, the king died suddenly.
