There have been many cases in history when the state was ruled by not entirely healthy people. And this is not always a bad thing: a disease can develop many necessary traits in a leader, as was the case, for example, with US President Franklin Roosevelt.
But if the ruler is moved by his mind, things in the state develop tragically …
The second half of the XIV century for France passed under the sign of trouble. The country was tormented by uprisings every now and then (Jacqueria alone is worth something), there was a Hundred Years War with England, the state treasury was exhausted, a schism was blazing in the church. Charles V, who was called the Wise and respected for his calmness and firmness, despite individual successes, could not rein in his relatives - the dukes of Louis I of Anjou, Jean Berry and Philip II the Bold Burgundy. They craved power and wealth, and tore the country apart. Perhaps, over time, Karl would have been able to solve these problems. But in 1380, the 42-year-old king passed away.
Sole survivor
Power was inherited by 12-year-old Charles VI. He did not strive for her, because he was not ready for such a burden. But it just so happened that two of his older brothers had already died by that moment. According to the law, his mother Jeanne de Bourbon could become his guardian, but she died even before her husband, in 1378. It is possible that all these deaths and experiences upset the fragile mental balance of the king and damaged his mental abilities.
Immediately after the death of Charles V, a Council met in Paris, which was to elect a regent. The Duke of Anjou and his brothers, Dukes Jean of Berry and Philip of Burgundy, applied for this position. All three were quite powerful and stubborn, and the Council hesitated, not knowing what decision to make. It could have ended in bloodshed or a full-fledged civil war. As a result of a long conflict, the Council adopted a half-hearted decision: the Duke of Anjou was elected regent, but with limited rights. And the other two became the guardians of the children of Charles V.
Of course, such a quarrel was an unpleasant sight for an impressionable boy. But, presumably, at the age of 12, boys are able to be distracted from such impressions, especially since Charles VI had all the opportunities for this. The king was handsome, good-natured, affable, and his manners were like a real knight. With the right influence and education, he could turn out to be an enlightened and kind-hearted monarch. But none of his relatives was interested in his upbringing or education. On the contrary, the king was instilled with a thirst for frivolous fun, noisy pleasures and luxury. While he disappeared at balls and dragged after girls, he had no time to do business.
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And the closest guardians, meanwhile, pulled the last juice from the state. The Duke of Anjou was especially successful. When, two months later, Charles VI decided to be crowned, it turned out that there was simply nothing to carry out a magnificent and expensive ceremony: the nosy regent, taking advantage of his proximity to power, stole 17 million francs! A gigantic sum for those times!
And yet the coronation of Charles VI in Reims took place. The money was found, but for this the administration had to raise taxes. This decision led to riots and uprisings. But what can you do - the king respected his uncle and did not want to upset him.
From regents to marmuzets
The regents ruled the state not too zealously, but the king had a lot of free time. In the first years of his reign, he did not delve into state affairs and gave the impression of being completely healthy, physically very strong (the king bent his horseshoes with his hands), although a very apolitical and lethargic ruler. Because of his beauty and good manners, Charles VI was nicknamed the Beloved. When this tall, slender young man with a large shock of blond hair appeared in public, it was clear to everyone: this nickname suits him very much.
Although it cannot be said that the king's life was spent in continuous fun. Since the regents did business carelessly, rebellions were raging in the country. So, in 1382, the population of Paris revolted, and the king had to flee the city. And when he left for the Flemish campaign, the opponents tried to carry out a coup d'état at all. The regents suppressed this attempt with fire and blood, but the fear of a sudden attempt on his life forever settled in the soul of the monarch.
At 17, Karl expressed a desire to get married. Despite the wealth of choice, he was captivated by the beauty of Isabella of Bavaria. A beautiful and domineering German woman quickly realized that His Majesty was a weakling, and began to twist ropes from him.
When the king was 20 years old, he suddenly took up state affairs, completely upset by his uncles. The Regents were expelled from the Council and sent to their estates. It seemed that the king had awakened from a long sleep and France finally gained sovereign sovereignty. But it was not so - soon the king lost interest in business and entrusted the management of the party of Marmuzets - the former advisers of Charles V, ousted from power by clever uncles. Marmuzets were able to somewhat improve matters. They partially abolished taxes imposed during the regency. Paris was restored to its ancient privileges, and the future biographer of King Juvenal des Jurce was appointed as the merchant head of the city. He turned out to be a skilful administrator: he restored the river fleet, streamlined trade and gradually brought the economy to a more stable state.
But by this time a new threat loomed over the king.
Without a king in your head
Everyone who knew the king intimately noted his irritability and nervous fervor. These were the first signs of a developing disease that completely took possession of the king by the age of 24.
In 1392 Charles, having had a fever the day before, set out on a campaign. When the royal army was on the way, they met a ragamuffin who shouted: “Stop, king! You were betrayed! " The king's nerves were on edge, and then another of the pages fell asleep and dropped the spear from his hands. It struck with a clang on the helmet of one of the infantrymen, and suddenly the king, seized by madness, drew his sword from its scabbard and shouted "Forward, forward on the traitors!" pierced the page, and then rushed at his knights. He killed four people, and until the sword broke, he chased the rest. When they managed to twist him, the king lost consciousness and fell asleep. The next morning he remembered nothing.
This attack frightened the courtiers. One could forget him, but after half a year a new attack happened. At the party organized by the queen, they played a joke show. The participants in the show were five young aristocrats and a king, who were dressed in costumes of savages, sewn from linen fabric with hemp soaked in resin. Suddenly, a spark from a torch fell on the clothes of one of them. A fire broke out, in which four disguised aristocrats died.
This terrible incident, which happened in front of Karl, finished him off. He became aggressive, denied involvement with the royal family, wiped the royal coat of arms from the dinner service and did not recognize his wife. Six months later, he again had a clouding of mind. The king kicked out his doctor, ran through the palace, and again denied belonging to the royal family.
After that, the disease did not leave him. In the intervals between attacks, he tried to do business and even went on military campaigns. But all this was an extremely dangerous undertaking and had no success. Once the king, during a seizure, declared that he was made of glass and was afraid of breaking.
He forbade touching himself, strengthened the body with iron objects, did not make sudden movements. For this he received the nickname "the glass king".
Over time, the king's madness became quite familiar to his retinue. The wife, fearing sudden outbursts of rage, took the children and left the palace, and the king's daughter Odette de Chamdiver began to look after the king. She became Karl's wife, doctor and servant.
While the king was ill, France was slowly moving towards disintegration. The uncles of the king drove the marmuzets, the Hundred Years War flashed and then faded, the princes of the blood carved out their territories and actually became independent.
Since the onset of the disease, the king suffered from 44 to 52 attacks. He ruled for 42 years, and died not as a result of his illness, but because of common malaria. This happened on October 21, 1422. The whole country mourned the king.
Although, perhaps, she mourned not the monarch, but France, which had to start all over again: to win independence, strengthen power, create an army and industry.
And it was very difficult to do it.
Dmitry Kupriyanov
