Editing Charles VI of France

{{Short description|King of France from 1380 to 1422}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Charles VI
| image        = Charles VI de France - Dialogues de Pierre Salmon - Bib de Genève MsFr165f4.jpg
| image_size   = 
| alt          = 
| caption      = Contemporary depiction of Charles VI from the ''Dialogues'' of [[Pierre Salmon]], 1415
| succession   = [[King of France]]
| moretext     = ([[Style of the French sovereign|more...]])
| reign        = 16 September 1380 – {{nowrap|21 October 1422}}
| coronation   = 4 November 1380
| cor-type     = France
| predecessor  = [[Charles V of France|Charles V]]
| successor    = [[Charles VII of France|Charles VII]] 
or [[Henry VI of England|Henry VI]] ([[Treaty of Troyes|disputed]])
| regent       = {{List collapsed|title=''See''|1 ={{plainlist}}
* [[Philip II, Duke of Burgundy]]
* [[John, Duke of Berry]]
* [[Louis I, Duke of Anjou]]
* [[Louis II, Duke of Bourbon]]
* [[Louis I, Duke of Orléans]]
* [[John the Fearless|John, Duke of Burgundy]]
* [[Henry V, King of England]]
* [[Isabeau, Queen of France]]
{{endplainlist}}
}}
| reg-type     = Regents
| birth_date   = 3 December 1368
| birth_place  = Paris, [[Kingdom of France|France]]
| death_date   = 21 October 1422 (aged 53)
| death_place  = Paris, France
| burial_date  = 11 November 1422
| burial_place = [[Saint Denis Basilica]]
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Isabeau of Bavaria]]|1385}}
| issue        = {{plainlist|
* [[Isabella of Valois|Isabella, Queen of England]]
* [[Joan of France, Duchess of Brittany|Joan, Duchess of Brittany]]
* [[Marie, Prioress of Poissy]]
* [[Michelle of Valois|Michelle, Duchess of Burgundy]]
* [[Louis, Duke of Guyenne|Louis, Dauphin of France]]
* [[John, Duke of Touraine|John, Dauphin of France]]
* [[Catherine of Valois|Catherine, Queen of England]]
* [[Charles VII, King of France]]
* [[Marguerite, bâtarde de France|Marguerite, Lady of Belleville]] {{small|''(ill.)''}}}}
| issue-link   = #Marriage and issue
| issue-pipe   = among others...
| house        = [[House of Valois|Valois]]
| father       = [[Charles V of France]]
| mother       = [[Joanna of Bourbon]]
| signature    = Signature of Charles VI of France.svg
}}

'''Charles VI''' (3 December 1368{{spnd}}21 October 1422), nicknamed '''the Beloved''' ({{langx|fr|link=no|le Bien-Aimé}}) and in the 19th century,<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Autrand |first1=Françoise |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G4O-bwCM4t8C |title=Saint-Denis et la royauté: études offertes à Bernard Guenée |last2=Gauvard |first2=Claude |last3=Moeglin |first3=Jean-Marie |date=1999 |publisher=Publications de la Sorbonne |isbn=978-2-85944-383-2 |pages=13 |language=fr}}</ref> '''the Mad''' ({{langx|fr|link=no|le Fol}} or ''le Fou''), was [[King of France]] from 1380 until his death in 1422. He is known for his [[mental illness]] and [[psychosis|psychotic]] episodes that plagued him throughout his life.

Charles ascended the throne at age 11, his father [[Charles V of France|Charles V]] leaving behind a favorable military situation, marked by the reconquest of most of the English possessions in France. Charles VI was placed under the regency of his uncles: [[Philip II, Duke of Burgundy]]; [[Louis I, Duke of Anjou]]; [[John, Duke of Berry]]; and [[Louis II, Duke of Bourbon]]. He decided in 1388, aged 20, to emancipate himself. In 1392, while leading a military expedition against the [[Duchy of Brittany]], the king had his 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, Charles alternated between periods of mental instability and lucidity. Power was held by his influential uncles and by his wife, [[Queen Isabeau]]. His younger brother, [[Louis I, Duke of Orléans]], also aspired to the regency and saw his influence grow. The enmity between the Duke of Orléans and his cousin [[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, Charles's army was crushed by the English at the [[Battle of Agincourt]]. The king subsequently signed the [[Treaty of Troyes]], which entirely disinherited his son, the [[Dauphin of France|Dauphin]] and future [[Charles VII of France|Charles VII]], in favour of [[Henry V of England]]. Henry was thus made [[regent]] and heir to the throne of France, and Charles married his daughter [[Catherine of Valois|Catherine]] to Henry. However, Henry died shortly before Charles, which gave the [[House of Valois]] the chance to continue the fight against the [[House of Lancaster]], leading to eventual Valois victory and the end of the [[Hundred Years' War]] in 1453. Charles was succeeded in law by his grandson (Henry V's son), the infant [[Henry VI of England]], but Charles's own son was crowned first in [[Reims Cathedral]] and was widely regarded even before his coronation as the true heir by the French people.

==Early life==
Charles VI was born in Paris, in the royal residence of the [[Hôtel Saint-Pol]], on 3 December 1368, the son of King [[Charles V of France|Charles V]] of the [[House of Valois]] and of [[Joanna of Bourbon]].{{sfn|Roux|2009|p=244}} As the eldest son of the king, Charles was heir to the French throne and held the title [[Dauphin of France]].

==King of France==
===Regency===
At his father's death on 16 September 1380, Charles inherited the throne of France. His [[coronation]] took place on 4 November at [[Reims Cathedral]].{{sfn|Sumption|2009|p=397}} Charles was only eleven years old when he was crowned king. During his minority, [[Kingdom of France|France]] was ruled by Charles's uncles as [[regent]]s. Although the royal [[age of majority]] was 14 (the "[[Person (Catholic canon law)|age of accountability]]" under [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] [[canon law]]), Charles was 21 when he formally terminated the regency.

The regents were [[Philip the Bold|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 concerned only with his interests in [[Languedoc]],<ref>Vaughan, 40–41 {{Title missing}}</ref> and not particularly enthusiastic with royal politics; and Louis of Bourbon was a largely unimportant figure, owing to his eccentric personality (showing signs of [[mental illness]]) and comparatively low status (he was from a junior branch of the royal bloodline).

During the regency, the financial resources of the kingdom, painstakingly built up by Charles V, were squandered for the personal profit of the dukes, whose interests were frequently divergent or even opposing. The new royal administration took steps to centralize power by usurping control of political offices and reimposing several unpopular taxes. The latter policy represented a reversal of the deathbed decision by Charles V to repeal them, and led to tax revolts, known as the ''[[Harelle]]''.{{sfn|Sumption|2009|p=441-43}} The dukes also engaged in [[state capture]]; for instance, the [[Battle of Roosebeke]] (1382) was fought solely for Philip's benefit.

Charles VI finally stripped his corrupt uncles of their positions in 1388. To guide his rule, he restored to office the highly competent advisors of Charles V, known as the [[Marmousets]],<ref>Vaughn, 42.{{Title missing}} </ref> who ushered in a new period of high esteem for the crown. Charles VI was initially referred to as ''Charles the Beloved'' by his subjects.{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}
{{multiple image| align =right | image1 = Couronnement de Charles VI le Bien-Aimé.jpg| width1 = 150px| alt1 = | caption1 = The coronation of Charles VI | image2 = Madness of Charles VI.jpg | width2 = 200px | alt2 = |caption2 = Charles seized by madness in the forest near Le Mans | footer = }}

===Mental illness===
[[File:Charles VI double d'or La Rochelle 1420.jpg|thumb|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 with familial schizophrenia syndrome.{{sfn|Earenfight|2013|p=196}}  Some mental illnesses Charles VI of France might have suffered from are familial schizophrenia syndrome, typhus, bipolar disorder, and arsenic poisoning, though arsenic poisoning has symptoms more physical than psychological. Typhus could explain his skin plaque or rashes along with his fits of delirium.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ashrafian |first=Hutan |date=2016-12-23 |title=Charles VI of France and Henry VI of England: Familial Sarcoidosis in the Hundred Years' War |url=https://www.mattioli1885journals.com/index.php/sarcoidosis/article/view/4276/3870 |journal=Sarcoidosis, Vasculitis and Diffuse Lung Diseases |language=en |volume=33 |issue=4 |pages=416–417 |issn=2532-179X}}</ref> 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, the king was determined to punish the would-be assassin, [[Pierre de Craon]], who had taken refuge in [[Duchy of Brittany|Brittany]]. [[John V, Duke of Brittany]], was unwilling to hand him over, so Charles prepared a military expedition.

Contemporaries reported that Charles appeared to be in a "fever" to begin the campaign and was disconnected in his speech. He 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.<ref>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.</ref>

After 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 then drew his sword, spurred his mount, and attacked his own knights before one of his [[Chamberlain (office)|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, he was taken to the castle of [[Creil]],{{sfn|Adams|2014|p=36}} where it was hoped that good air and pleasant surroundings might bring him to his senses. The king had killed a knight known as "the Bastard of Polignac" and several other men during the attack.{{sfn|Denieul-Cormier|1980|p=195}}

Periods of mental illness continued throughout Charles's life. During one episode 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 help her so he would be left alone.<ref>R. C. Famiglietti, ''Royal Intrigue: Crisis at the Court of Charles VI, 1392–1420'', New York, 1986, p. 4, citing the chronicle of the [[Michel Pintoin|Religieux de Saint-Denis]], ed. Bellaguet, II, pp. 86–88.</ref> During another episode in 1395–96, the king claimed he was [[Saint George]] and that his [[coat of arms]] was a lion with a sword thrust through it.<ref>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.</ref> At this time, he recognized all the officers of his household, but did not know his wife nor his children. At times, the king ran wildly through the corridors of 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.<ref>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</ref>

Charles's 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.<ref>Enea Silvio Piccolomini (Papa Pio II), ''I Commentarii'', ed. L. Totaro, Milano, 1984, I, p. 1056.</ref> This condition has come to be known as [[glass delusion]].

Charles'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 his 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 his ''Dialogues''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Dialogues_de_Pierre_Salmon|title=Pierre Salmon's Dialogues – Wikicommons}}</ref>

===''Bal des Ardents''===
[[File:Le Bal des Ardents.jpg|thumb|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"), was organized by Isabeau of Bavaria to celebrate the wedding of one of her [[lady-in-waiting|ladies-in-waiting]] at the Hôtel Saint-Pol. At the suggestion of Huguet de Guisay, the king and four other lords<ref name="Froissart Chronicles .p.550">[[Froissart's Chronicles]], ed. T. Johnes, II (1855), p. 550</ref> dressed up as [[Woodwose|wild men]] and performed a dance while 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."<ref>{{Cite book |first=Barbara |last=Tuchman |title=A Distant Mirror |date=1978 |publisher=Alfred A Knopf}} 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".</ref>

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 younger brother [[Louis I, Duke of Orléans]], who had arrived late, approached with a lighted torch to discover the identity of the dancers, and accidentally set one of them on fire. There was panic as the flames spread. The [[Joanna II of Auvergne|Duchess of Berry]] threw the train of her gown over the king to protect him.<ref>''[[Froissart's Chronicles]]'', ed. T. Johnes, II (1855), pp. 550–52</ref> Several knights who tried to put out the flames were severely burned. Four of the dancers perished: Charles de Poitiers, son of the [[Count of Valentinois]]; Huguet de Guisay; Yvain de [[County of Foix|Foix]]; and the Count of [[Joigny]]. Another – Jean, son of the Lord of [[Nantouillet]] – saved himself by jumping into a dishwater tub.<ref>''[[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.</ref>

===Expulsion of the Jews, 1394===
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 [[prosecutor]]s had made several investigations and discovered that the Jews broke the agreement with the king on many occasions.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}} Therefore, the king decreed, as an irrevocable law and statute, that no Jew would dwell in his domains ("Ordonnances", vii. 675). According to the [[Michel Pintoin|Monk of St. Denis]], the king signed this decree at the insistence of Isabeau ("Chron. de Charles VI." ii. 119).<ref>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 language|Latin]], the work was translated to French in six volumes by L. Bellaguet between 1839 and 1852.</ref> The decree was not immediately enforced, a respite being granted to the Jews so 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 (religion)|provost]] was to escort the Jews to the frontier of the kingdom. Subsequently, the king released Christians from their debts.

===Struggles for power===
With Charles mentally ill, from 1393 his wife Isabeau presided over a regency council, on which sat the grandees of the kingdom. Philip the Bold, who acted as regent during the king's minority (from 1380 to 1388), was initially a great influence on the queen. However, influence progressively shifted to Orléans, the king's brother, who was not only another contender for power, but, it was suspected, the queen's lover as well.<ref name="Dignat">Alban Dignat, ''23 novembre 1407: Assassinat dans la rue Vieille du Temple'', [http://www.herodote.net/histoire11230.htm herodote.net] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061211173924/http://www.herodote.net/histoire11230.htm |date=11 December 2006 }}</ref> Charles's other uncles were less influential during the regency, but John 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 Orléans escalated.

===Wars with Burgundy and England===
In 1407, Orléans was murdered in the ''rue Vieille du Temple'' in Paris. John the Fearless did not deny responsibility, claiming that Orléans was a tyrant who squandered money. Orléans' son [[Charles, Duke of Orléans|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's reign, though the war with the English was still in progress.

With the English taking over much of France, John the Fearless sought to end the feud with the royal family by negotiating with the Dauphin [[Charles VII of France|Charles VII]], the king's heir. They met at the bridge at [[Montereau-Fault-Yonne|Montereau]] on 10 September 1419, but during the meeting, John the Fearless was killed by [[Tanneguy du Chastel]], a follower of the Dauphin. His successor, [[Philip the Good]], the new Duke of Burgundy, threw in his lot with the English.

===English invasion and death===
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 his 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 [[Hundred Years' War (1415–53)|led an invasion]] that culminated in the defeat of the French army at the [[Battle of Agincourt]] in October.

On 21 May 1420, Henry V and Charles VI signed the [[Treaty of Troyes]], which named Henry as Charles's successor and stipulated that Henry's heirs would succeed him on the throne of France. It disinherited the Dauphin Charles, then only aged 17. (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. 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]].<ref>R.C. Famiglietti, ''Royal Intrigue: Crisis at the Court of Charles VI, 1392–1420'', New York, 1986, Chapter X.</ref>

Charles VI died on 21 October 1422 in Paris, at the Hôtel Saint-Pol.<ref>{{cite book|author1=William W. Kibler|author2=Grover A. Zinn|title=Medieval France: An Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MQoKeohhNkMC&pg=PA379|year=1995|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-8240-4444-2|pages=379}}</ref> He was interred in [[Saint Denis Basilica]], where his wife Isabeau would join him after her death in September 1435.

Henry V died just a few weeks before Charles, 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, Henry VI 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 the fight to regain his kingdom. In 1429, [[Joan of Arc]] led his forces to victory against the English and took him to be crowned in [[Reims Cathedral]] as King Charles VII 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.<ref>Chartier, Jean, ''Chronique de Charles VII, Roi de France'', publié avec notes par Vallet de Viriville, Paris 1858</ref>

==Marriage and issue==
Charles VI married [[Isabeau of Bavaria]] ({{circa|1371}} – 24 September 1435) on 17 July 1385. They had:

{| class="sortable wikitable"
|-
!Name!!Birth!!Death!!Notes
|-
|Charles, [[Dauphin of France|Dauphin]]||25&nbsp;September&nbsp;1386||28&nbsp;December&nbsp;1386||Died young. First Dauphin.
|-
|Jeanne||14 June 1388||1390||Died young.
|-
|[[Isabella of Valois|Isabella]]||9 November 1389||13 September 1409||Married (1) [[Richard II of England|Richard II, King of England]], in 1396. No issue.<ref>Jeffrey Hamilton, ''The Plantagenets: History of a Dynasty'', (Continuum, 2010), 205.</ref><br />Married (2) [[Charles, duc d'Orléans|Charles, Duke of Orléans]], in 1406. Had issue.
|-
|[[Joan of France, Duchess of Brittany|Jeanne]]||24 January 1391||27 September 1433||Married [[John V, Duke of Brittany]], in 1396. Had issue.
|-
|Charles, Dauphin||6 February 1392||13 January 1401||Died young. Second Dauphin. Engaged to [[Margaret of Burgundy, Dauphine of France|Margaret of Burgundy]] after his birth.
|-
|[[Marie of Valois, Prioress of Poissy|Marie]]||22 August 1393||19 August 1438||Never married – became an [[abbess]]. No issue. Died of the [[Plague (disease)|Plague]]
|-
|[[Michelle of Valois|Michelle]]||11 January 1395||8 July 1422||Married [[Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy]], in 1409.<ref>Jonathan Sumption, ''Cursed Kings: The Hundred Years War IV'', (Faber and Faber Ltd., 2015), 103.</ref> Had no surviving issue.
|-
|[[Louis, Dauphin of France and Duke of Guyenne|Louis, Dauphin]]||22 January 1397||18 December 1415||Married [[Margaret of Burgundy (1393-1441)|Margaret of Burgundy]]. No issue. Third Dauphin.
|-
|[[John, Dauphin of France and Duke of Touraine|John, Dauphin]]||31 August 1398||5 April 1417||Married [[Jacqueline, Countess of Hainaut]], in 1415. No issue. Fourth Dauphin.
|-
|[[Catherine of Valois|Catherine]]||27 October 1401||3 January 1437||Married (1) [[Henry V of England|Henry V, King of England]], in 1420. Had issue. <br /> Married (?) (2) [[Owen Tudor]]. Had issue.
|-
|[[Charles VII of France]]||22 February 1403||21 July 1461||The fifth Dauphin became Charles VII, King of France, after his father's death. <br /> Married [[Marie of Anjou]] in 1422. Had issue.
|-
|Philip||10 November 1407||November 1407||Died young.
|-
|}

Charles had a mistress, [[Odette de Champdivers]].{{sfn|Gaude-Ferragu|2016|p=34}} They had:
* [[Marguerite, bâtarde de France]] (d. {{Circa|1458}}).{{sfn|de Viriville|1859|p=176}}

[[File:Charles VI of France Family.jpg|thumb|right|Charles VI Family]]

==Ancestry==
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|1= 1. '''Charles VI of France '''
|2= 2. [[Charles V of France]]
|3= 3. [[Joanna of Bourbon]]
|4= 4. [[John II of France]]{{sfn|Autrand|1994|pp=15}}
|5= 5. [[Bonne of Luxembourg]]{{sfn|Autrand|1994|pp=15}}
|6= 6. [[Peter I, Duke of Bourbon]]
|7= 7.  [[Isabella of Valois, Duchess of Bourbon|Isabella of Valois]]
|8= 8. [[Philip VI of France]]{{sfn|Autrand|1994|pp=15}}
|9= 9.  [[Joan the Lame of Burgundy|Joan of Burgundy]]
|10= 10. [[John of Bohemia]]
|11= 11.  [[Elizabeth of Bohemia (1292–1330)|Elizabeth of Bohemia]]
|12= 12. [[Louis I, Duke of Bourbon]]
|13= 13. [[Mary of Avesnes]]
|14= 14.  [[Charles, Count of Valois|Charles I, Count of Valois]]{{sfn|Henneman|1971|p=xvii}}
|15= 15. [[Mahaut of Châtillon]]
}}

==Films and television==
* [[Harcourt Williams]] in ''[[Henry V (1944 film)|Henry V]]'' (1944)
* [[Paul Scofield]] in ''[[Henry V (1989 film)|Henry V]]'' (1989)
* [[Lambert Wilson]] in ''[[The Hollow Crown (TV series)|The Hollow Crown]]'' (2012)
* [[Thibault de Montalembert]] in ''[[The King (2019 film)|The King]]'' (2019)
* [[Alex Lawther]] in ''[[The Last Duel (2021 film)|The Last Duel]]'' (2021)

==See also==
* [[Henry of Marle (died 1418)]]
* [[Journal d'un bourgeois de Paris]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==
{{Refbegin|indent=yes}}
* {{Cite book |last=Adams |first=Tracy |title=Christine de Pizan and the Fight for France |publisher=Penn State University Press |year=2014}}
* {{Cite book |last=Autrand |first=Françoise |title=Charles V le Sage |date=1994 |publisher=Fayard |location=Paris |language=fr}}
* {{Cite book |last=Denieul-Cormier |first=Anne |title=Wise and Foolish Kings: The First House of Valois, 1328–1498 |publisher=Doubleday |year=1980}}
* {{Cite book |last=Earenfight |first=Theresa |title=Queenship in Medieval Europe |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=2013}}
* {{Cite book |last=Famiglietti |first=R.C. |date=1986 |title=Royal Intrigue: Crisis at the Court of Charles VI, 1392–1420 |publisher=AMS Press}}
* {{Cite book |last=Famiglietti |first=R.C. |author-mask=2 |date=1992 |title=Tales of the Marriage Bed from Medieval France (1300–1500) |publisher=Picardy Press}}
* {{Cite book |last=Gaude-Ferragu |first=Murielle |title=Queenship in Medieval France, 1300–1500 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=2016 |translator-last=Krieger |translator-first=Angela}}
* {{Cite book |last=Henneman |first=John Bell |title=Royal taxation in Fourteenth Century France, The Development of War Financing 1322–1356 |date=1971 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=9781400869435 |doi=10.1515/9781400869435}}
* {{Cite book |last=Roux |first=Simone |title=Paris in the Middle Ages |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |year=2009 |translator-last=McNamara |translator-first=Jo Ann}}
* {{Cite book |last=Sumption |first=Jonathan |title=The Hundred Years War: Divided Houses |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |year=2009 |volume=III}}
* {{Cite journal |last=de Viriville |first=Vallet |author-link=Auguste Vallet de Viriville |date=1859 |title=Odette ou Odinette de Champdivers Était-elle fille d'un Marchand de Chevaux? Notes historiques sur ce personnage |journal=Bibliothèque de l'École des chartes |series=Quatrième Série |language=French |publisher=Librairie Droz |volume=5 |pages=171–81}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
* {{Cite web |title=Biography of Charles VI the mad of France (1368–1422) |url=http://madmonarchs.guusbeltman.nl/madmonarchs/charles6/charles6_bio.htm |access-date=6 November 2015 |website=guusbeltman.nl}}
* {{Cite web |date=20 July 1998 |editor-last=Britannica |title=Charles VI king of France |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-VI-king-of-France |website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]}}
* {{Cite web |title=Charles VI |url=http://www.shakespeareandhistory.com/charles-vi.php |website=Shakespeareandhistory.com}}
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Charles VI. (King of France)|display=Charles VI.|volume=5|pages=919–920}}

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{{s-hou|[[House of Valois]]|3 December|1368|21 October|1422|[[Capetian dynasty]]}}
|-
{{s-reg|}}
{{s-bef|rows=2|before=[[Charles V of France|Charles V]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of French monarchs|King of France]]|years=16 September 1380 – 21 October 1422}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Charles VII of France|Charles VII]]<br><small>contested by [[Henry VI of England|Henry II]]</small>}}
|-
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of counts of Albon and dauphins of Viennois|Dauphin of Viennois]]|years=3 December 1368 – 26 September 1386}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Charles, Dauphin of France (1386)|Charles III]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Charles, Dauphin of France (1386)|Charles III]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of counts of Albon and dauphins of Viennois|Dauphin of Viennois]]|years=28 December 1386 – 6 February 1392}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Charles, Dauphin of France (1392-1401)|Charles IV]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Monarchs of France}}
{{Dauphins of France}}
{{Henriad}}

{{Authority control}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Charles 06 of France}}
[[Category:1368 births]]
[[Category:1422 deaths]]
[[Category:14th-century kings of France]]
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[[Category:French Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:Burials at the Basilica of Saint-Denis]]
[[Category:Ancien Régime]]
[[Category:Christians of the Barbary Crusade]]
[[Category:Dauphins of France]]
[[Category:Dauphins of Viennois]]
[[Category:House of Valois]]
[[Category:Medieval child monarchs]]
[[Category:Nobility from Paris]]
[[Category:People of the Hundred Years' War]]
[[Category:French royalty and nobility with disabilities]]
[[Category:1380s in France]]
[[Category:1390s in France]]
[[Category:1400s in France]]
[[Category:1410s in France]]
[[Category:1420s in France]]
[[Category:Sons of kings]]