CARLO VI, King of France, known as the Mad. — Son of the preceding and of Jeanne of Bourbon, born in Paris on 3 Dec. 1368, died on 21 Oct. 1422. His uncles, the dukes of Burgundy, Berry and Anjou, ruled for him until he reached the age of 21. It was a period of violence and anarchy during which the regents extracted financial resources wherever they could find them and in every possible way. In 1385 Charles assumed personal rule, and in 1388 he married Isabella of Bavaria. Unable to quell the disturbances raised by the regency, he recalled the wise counsellors of his father, derisively called the Marmousets, but their good government lasted only a short time, since in 1392 the king went mad and royal authority was disputed between his uncles, the dukes of Burgundy and Orléans. In 1407 the latter was assassinated, and the crime gave rise to the war between the two factions into which the court and nobility had divided, that of the Armagnacs and that of the Burgundians.
Henry V of England took advantage of the anarchy to invade France with the connivance of John the Fearless, the new duke of Burgundy; he won at Agincourt in 1415 and seized Normandy. John the Fearless, having entered Paris, took control in the name of Charles. During a meeting with the Armagnacs, who had the dauphin on their side, John the Fearless was assassinated in 1419, and the new duke of Burgundy, Philip the Bold, openly allied himself with King Henry of England, plotting also with Isabella of Bavaria, wife of Charles. By the Treaty of Troyes in 1420, Henry V was to marry Catherine, daughter of Charles, and thus become king of France upon the death of his father-in-law. But two years later, Charles and Henry both died within a few weeks of each other.
Charles sought to exploit the Schism to the advantage of royal authority, but the University of Paris, interpreter of public opinion, compelled him instead to work for the union of the obediences.