CHARLES VI (`the Sill?), King of France, and son of Charles V: b. Pans, 3 Dec. 1368; d. 21 Oct. 1422. When his father died he was not 12 years old, and the contend ing pretensions of his uncles, the dukes of Anjou, Berry, Burgundy and Bourbon, ren dered his minority one of unbounded turbulence and license. In 1385 he married at Amiens Isabella of Bavaria. In 1388 he declared him self independent of guardians and took the reins of government into his own hands. His mild and amiable though somewhat dissipated character had already secured for him a con siderable share of popularity, when he was overtaken by the loss of his reason —a condi tion in which, with a few lucid intervals, he remained to the end of his days. The origin of this was constitutional, aggravated by a fright and a severe accident. Perhaps at no period in her history was France the scene of greater disasters and miseries than during the reign of this unhappy prince. The rival fac tions of the BuTunolians and the Armagnacs kept up constantly throughout the country the horrors of a most rancorous civil war; while brigandage and every kind of violence pre vailed to the most fearful extent. Such a con
junction afforded the most favorable oppor tunity for an invader; and accordingly, in 1415, Henry V of England crossed over to Normandy with a numerous army, took Harfleur by storm and signally defeated the French forces in the battle of Agincourt. Improving these ad vantages he advanced into the country, gained possession of the capital and compelled the crazy King to sign the Treaty of Troyes (1420), by which his daughter Catharine was given in marriage to Henry, and Charles was also forced to disinherit his own son and to acknowledge Henry as his successor. Neither monarch long survived this celebrated paction, both dying within a few months of each other.