Charles the Wise was succeeded by his eldest son Charles VI. a minor : a few years before his death, Charles, think ing it probable that he should leave his son very young, passed the ordinance, which fixed the majority of the French King at the age of 14. Charles VI. when he mounted the throne, was 13. His uncles, the Dukes of Anjou, Berne, and Burgundy, differed respecting the re gency ; but it was settled by those to whom they referred their difference, that the king should be crowned in a few months, and that in the interval he should govern in his own name, but with the advice of his uncles. Till the co ronation, the Duke of Anjou seems to have had the princi pal management of affairs, but lie employed his authority rather for his own advantage than for the benefit of the king and the people. Charles did not assume the sovereignty till the death of the Duke of Anjou in 1388 : at first, it was hoped that he would prove a man of spirit and enterprize ; but he soon fell into a fit of frenzy ; and though he recover ed, lie was unequal to the government of the kingdom, on account of his frequent relapse, and his general imbecility. Hip first relapse was occasioned by a singular incident : At a masquerade, he, with some of his nobles, covered their bodies with rosin, powdered over, while hot, with fur. The combustible habit of one of them was accidentally set on fire : the flames communicated to some of the others, and the king was so much affected by the fright, and his nar row escape, that his disorder returned, and it afterwards generally attacked him four or five times a year to the end of his life. It is scarcely possible to conceive a court more profligate and debauched than that of France was at this period. While things were in such a situation, the Duke of Burgundy died. Ile was succeeded by his son, who hoped to govern France as his father had done, during the illness of Charles ; but he was opposed by the Duke or Or leans, the king's brother, who relied for his authority, not so much on his relationship, as on the influence %%hid, the duchess had over Charles's mind, even in its most violent and disordered state. The quarrels between the two Dukes were carried to a great height ; but at last, A. D. 1407, by the interposition of common friends, they were persuaded to enter into a league of amity, in the most solemn man ne•. But the Duke of Burgundy was meditating treachery, even while he was professing friendship ; for he hired ruf fians, who assassinated his rival in the streets of Paris, and when the ruffians gave hint as their instigator, he avowed and justified the action. What is still more strange, the parliament of Paris passed over the clime, and even seem ed to admit the Duke of Burgundy's justification. The consequences were such as might have been anticipated : The princes of the blood, combining with the young Duke of Orleans and his brothers, made war against the Duke of Burgundy, and the unhappy king was a prisoner, some times with one party and sometimes with another. The provinces were laid waste ; assassinations were frequent ; and law, order, justice, and humanity, were equally set at nought. Each party endeavoured to strengthen their ad herents by every mode in their power, and the fraternity of butchers in Paris having declared for the Duke of Bur gundy, the adherents of the Duke of Orleans made interest with the carpenters ;—the fate of the capital depending on the prevalence of either party.
During this calamitous state of France, England re frained from invading her, till Henry V. ascended the throne ; but soon after his accession, he landed in Nor mandy at the head of 50,000 men : the battle of Agincourt followed, in which the French were defeated with great slaughter. Notwithstanding his success, Henry was ob
liged to return to England for a supply of men and money. In the mean time France was exposed to all the furies of civil war. The Duke of Burgundy, who had been worst ed by his antagonists, attempted to regain possession of his power and of the person of the king ; and these objects he was enabled to accomplish, in consequence of some quarrels in the royal family ; the person of the king was seized by hint ; the dauphin made his escape with diffi culty ; and great numbers of the opposite faction were butchered. By this time Henry was again in a state to revisit France with a large force : he landed in Normandy and carried every thing before him ; afterwards he con cluded the treaty of Troyes, with the Queen and the Duke of Burgundy, by which the succession to the throne of France was secured to the King of England, and he received the princess Catherine in marriage, A. D. 1420. As soon as the dauphin heard of this treaty, he assumed the style and authority of regent, and appealed to God and his sword for the maintenance of his title ; but being un equal to his adversary, he was obliged to avoid a battle. In less than two months after the death of Henry V. A. D. 1422, Charles VI. terminated his unhappy life ; and the dauphin was crowned at Poictiers, (Rheims being in the possession of the English) under the name of Charles V11.
This sovereign was very popular in France ; and the situation of that kingdom required the exercise of all his talents, and the influence of all his popularity. On the other.hand the Duke of Bedford, the regent during thc mii,ority of Henry VI. was a man of great talents and dence, and fully sensible of the difficulty of preserving a newly acquired kingdom against the legitimate sovereign, well beloved as Charles was. At first, the Duke of Bedford was successful. Ile defeated the French, and their allies the Scots, in 14-4, in the battle of Verneuil , but his next enterprize was destined to produce the ruin of the English, and their expulsion from France, by means so extraordinary, as in that age universally to be deemed miraculous. In 1423, the Duke of Bedford undertook the siege of Orleans. The affairs of Charles seemed des perate, lie entertained thoughts of retiring into the re mote provinces of his kingdom, where the influence of his Queen, Mary of Anjou, and of his mistress, Agnes So reille, who lived in perfect amity with the Queen, changed his mind ; and he declared his resolution to perish with honour in the midst of his friends, rather than ield in gloriously to his enemies. In the meantime Oilcans still held out ; and the Maid of Orleans appeared, who, by in spiriting her countrymen, and appalling the English, obliged the latter to raise the siege. This extraordinary woman had promised not only to raise the siege of this city, but also to crown Charles at Rheims, which was still in possession of the English. As soon as she had achieved the first part of her prediction, she insisted that the King should march against Rheims. She was obeyed. Charles set out for that city at the head of 12,000 men, and scarcely perceived, as he passed along, that he was marching through an enemy's country. Every place opened its gates to him, and Rheims sent him its keys. He was ac cordingly crowned there King of France with the usual ceremonies. Soon after this, the Maid of Orleans was taken prisoner, and condemned to be burnt for sorcery and magic ; but she had already completely recovered the King's affairs ; and the Duke of Bedford dying soon after, Henry VI, who was a very weak prince, was obliged to withdraw his forces entirely from France, the English be ing expelled from all their possessions on the continent except Calais.