Did King Charles of France Go Crazy?

King Charles of France, also known as Charles X, is often remembered for his tumultuous reign and his controversial actions. Did his reign demonstrate signs of madness or merely erratic behavior?

Recently, in a charming encounter, King Charles met six graduates of an embroidery course run jointly with Chanel and the Prince’s Foundation. They presented him with an embroidery inspired by his garden at Highgrove. One of them, Eliza Kate Gomersall from Hildenborough, Kent, discussed her work, which was inspired by the Stumpery at his Gloucestershire residence and Japanese art. The King, an accomplished painter, remarked, "Are these all done in watercolor? Absolutely brilliant."

The Mental Toll of the Massacre of the Huguenots

Passing through the darkest pages of history, the massacre of the Huguenots had a profound impact on King Charles. He oscillated between boasting about the extent of the massacre and being haunted by the ghostly screams of the victims.

Charles alternated between blaming himself and his mother, Margaret of Savoy, a complex relationship that added to his psychological distress. It is possible that King Charles may have been going mad under the pressure of his reign and the atrocities he had to witness and perpetrate.

Mental Health and Historical Figures

Similarly, King Charles VI is often linked with mental health issues. Charles was Catholic and had dialogs with Huguenots, yet his mental state deteriorated significantly after the death of Guise. Historians argue that he massacred thousands of Huguenots and could have been suffering from mental instability.

Charles VI was known for his fits of rage and sadism, just as Charles X was. His doting but demanding mother, Catherine de Medici, likely played a significant role in shaping his behavior, but it is impossible to say if this alone caused his erratic actions.

Periods of Madness and Return to Sanity

Some accounts suggest that King Charles could go mad for periods and then return to some semblance of sanity. There are stories of him misidentifying his followers as enemies and even beating them to death. This led to rumors of outbursts and childish rages after the Huguenot killings and again after his premature death at the age of 23.

It seems that Charles almost seemed staid and normal in the more structured world of painting compared to the unpredictable chaos of his reign. However, his periods of madness grew in intensity and duration, indicating a possible underlying mental health issue that was exacerbated by the challenges of the time.

In conclusion, while it is difficult to definitively state whether King Charles of France was mad or simply mentally unstable, his actions and responses under pressure make his reign a dark yet fascinating chapter in history. These episodes of madness or instability are significant indicators of a mind wrestled with its own demons and the weight of his role as a ruler.

In contemporary terms, the question of whether historical figures like King Charles were mad speaks to the complexities of mental health and the impact of societal and familial pressures on an individual's psyche. It is a topic that continues to engage historians and the public alike.