Old Dead Relatives

The genealogy of my extended family

Who's Your Daddy?
First Name

Last Name
King Charles DE VALOIS, VI

King Charles DE VALOIS, VI

Male 1368 - 1422  (53 years)

Personal Information    |    Notes    |    Sources    |    All    |    PDF

  • Name Charles DE VALOIS 
    Prefix King 
    Suffix VI 
    Born 3 Dec 1368  Paris, Seine, France Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    Baptism Basilique Saint-Denis, Paris, France Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Also Known As The Beloved, the Mad 
    Occupation King of France 
    Died 22 Oct 1422  Paris, Seine, France Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Person ID I40292  Main
    Last Modified 17 Apr 2016 

    Father King Charles DE VALOIS, V,   b. 21 Jan 1337, Chateau Vincennes, Paris, Seine, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 16 Sep 1380, Chateau Vincennes, Paris, Seine, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 43 years) 
    Mother Queen Joanna DE BOURBON,   b. 3 Feb 1339, Chateau Vincennes, Paris, Seine, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 6 Feb 1378, Paris, Seine, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 39 years) 
    Married 8 Apr 1350  Lyon, Rhône, Rhône-Alpes, France Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F28348  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Queen Isabelle WITTELSBACH,   b. 1370, Ingolstadt, Ingolstadt, Bayern, Germany Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 24 Sep 1435, Paris, Seine, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 65 years) 
    Married 13 Jul 1385  Chateau Vincennes, Paris, Seine, France Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Children 
    +1. King Charles DE VALOIS, VII,   b. 22 Feb 1403, Ville, Paris, Seine, France Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 22 Jul 1461, France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 58 years)
    Last Modified 25 Feb 2019 
    Family ID F28084  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Notes 
    • Charles VI was only 11 when he inherited the throne in the midst of the Hundred Years' War. The government was entrusted to his four uncles: Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy; John, Duke of Berry; Louis I, Duke of Anjou; and Louis II, Duke of Bourbon. Although the royal age of majority was fixed at 14, the dukes maintained their grip on Charles until he took power at the age of 21.

      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. As royal funds drained, new taxes had to be raised, which caused several revolts.

      In 1388 Charles VI dismissed his uncles and brought back to power his father's former advisers, known as the Marmousets. Political and economic conditions in the kingdom improved significantly, and Charles earned the epithet "the Beloved". But in August 1392 en route to Brittany with his army in the forest of Le Mans, Charles suddenly went mad and slew four knights and almost killed his brother, Louis of Orléans.[1]

      From then on, Charles' bouts of insanity became more frequent and of longer duration. During these attacks, he had delusions, believing he was made of glass or denying he had a wife and children.[1] He could also attack servants or run until exhaustion, wailing that he was threatened by his enemies. Between crises, there were intervals of months during which Charles was relatively sane.[1] However, unable to concentrate or make decisions, political power was taken away from him by the princes of the blood, which would cause much chaos and conflict in France.

      A fierce struggle for power developed between Louis of Orléans, the king's brother, and John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy, the son of Philip the Bold. When John instigated the murder of Louis in November 1407, the conflict degenerated into a civil war between the Armagnacs (supporters of the House of Valois) and the Burgundians. John offered large parts of France to King Henry V of England, who was still at war with the Valois monarchy, in exchange for his support. After the assassination of John the Fearless, his son Philip the Good led Charles the Mad to sign the infamous Treaty of Troyes (1420), which disinherited his own offspring and recognized Henry V as his legitimate successor on the throne of France. [1]

  • Sources 


Notes

This website uses dates from the Gregorian calendar (New Style), unless otherwise noted.

For more information on dates, see Wikipedia: Old Style and New Style dates.

I strive to document my sources. However, some people and dates are best guesses and will be updated as new information is revealed. If you have something to add, please let me know.

Updated 23 Dec 2023