The King of France Charles VI Beloved is one of the most tragic characters of the Middle Ages. Having a noble origin and complete freedom of action, he became a hostage of his own mind. An unknown disease deprived the king not only of a bright future, but also branded him with the incorruptible title of "Mad".
Childhood of the ruler
Charles 6 was born December 3, 1368 in Paris. His parents, Charles V the Wise and Jeanne de Bourbon, are both direct descendants of Charles of Valois. The future king became the fifth child in a row, and the third boy in the family. However, by the time of the coronation, Charles's two older brothers had died of illness. And far from the last tragedy that his biography contains.
Charles VI the Mad lost almost all of his blood relatives. His mother, Jeanne, died in childbirth in 1378. Two years later, the current king of France, Charles V, also died in his bed. Thus, on November 3, 1380, a 12-year-old boy ascends the throne, who later acquires the nickname "Beloved".
The arbitrariness of the regents
Given the young age of the king, it was necessary to choose a regent capable of ruling the country until he came of age. A serious struggle immediately unleashed for this position. Fortunately, things did not come to a civil war: the parties were able to agree that the brother of the previous ruler, Louis I of Anjou, would take the place of regent.
At the same time, the main power still remained with the Big Council. It consisted of 50 people who represented the most successful families in France. The army remained under the command of the chief constable Olivier de Clisson. In addition to everything, part of the power at court passed into the hands of Jean of Berry and Philip the Bold, Charles VI's maternal uncle.
Such a division led to the fact that each side wanted to grab a bigger piece. Nobody thought about the country, everyone stuffed only their own pockets. Soon the treasury was empty and the government had to raise taxes. As a result, a series of uprisings swept over Paris. All of them were suppressed by force, which led to even more discontent on the part of ordinary citizens.
The foreign policy of the regents turned out to be just as disastrous. Acting alone, the king's uncles waged multiple wars on all fronts. The only trophies obtained in these battles were the satisfied ambitions of the rulers. As for France itself, she gained absolutely nothing, except for exorbitant bills for the maintenance of troops.
Charles VI - King of France
Carl Beloved began to delve into politics closer to the age of 17. He acquired such a colorful title due to his appearance. In one of the chronicles, the historian describes the king as follows: "The young ruler has turned into the most handsome man in the kingdom: he is tall, strong, has a penetrating look and magnificent blond hair." It was said that Charles 6 could easily bend a horseshoe with his bare hands. He was also skilled with a bow and liked to go hunting on weekends.
But there were obvious problems with the formation of the ruler. The thing is that the regents did not try to raise a wise king in him. On the contrary, they sought to lull his vigilance with magnificent feasts and entertainment. But one should not assume that Charles 6 grew up as an arrogant ignoramus, ignorant of the elementary norms of decency. No, contemporaries described him as a kind and polite king. However, his unwillingness to rule the country and complete dependence on his uncles had a rather bad effect on Medieval France.
Calm time
Only at the age of 20, Charles 6 took control of the country into his own hands. At least, he thought so, but in fact the power simply passed to others. Instead of the regents, who were expelled from the council, political problems began to be solved by the Marmuzet court party. For the most part, these were the advisers of the previous king, who remained out of work for the past 8 years.
The result of their reign was a slight economic recovery. This happened due to the fact that the Marmuzets dispersed the old corrupt officials who had been devastating the state treasury for a long time. True, new "leeches" quickly appeared in their place, which alsoshamelessly continued to drink all the juices from the people.
Therefore, despite all efforts, the party could not alleviate the situation in which Charles 6 found himself. France was still in a deplorable state, and the absence of a strong leader only exacerbated this situation. The reign of the Marmuzets lasted only 4 years (from 1388 to 1392), after which the king's uncles returned to power.
Caught in madness
Bouts of insanity in Charles 6 began to appear after he had a severe fever in the spring of 1392. At first, the symptoms appeared quite rarely and then, their severity was insignificant. For example, Karl 6 could suddenly become irritable or allow himself to behave inappropriately in public.
But then the madness consumed him completely. In moments of dementia, he became uncontrollable: either he behaved like a six-year-old child, or he attacked those around him with uncontrollable aggression. Once, the king even rushed with a blade at his soldiers, killing several poor fellows in the process.
As a result, Charles VI stepped aside from power. When his mind was clear, he led a quiet secular life, and when he was again overcome by seizures, he closed himself in his room. It is curious that the only person who could control the king in moments of madness was his servant Odette de Chamdiver. It was she who spent the last 15 years of his detached life with Karl, being his friend, doctor and lover.
The death of the king and the consequences of his reign
This ruler has a rather sad biography. Charles VI the Madspent 42 years on the throne. At the same time, for 30 years he was imprisoned in captivity of dementia, which did not allow him to take control of the country into his own hands. Thus, because of him, France had to go through very difficult times.
Torn by internal strife and arbitrariness, she plunged into the abyss of uprisings, civil wars and internecine battles. By the time of the death of Charles VI in 1422, the country was divided into counties, which actually became independent states. And the people, exhausted by taxes and wars, only dreamed of a new, strong and independent king coming to them.
