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- [00:00]
Danielle Cybulsky
Hi, I'm Danielle Cybulsky and I'm Dan Jones's Regent of sorts. While your benevolent king takes a well earned break, I'll be temporarily taking the throne to introduce you to the unbelievable tale of Francis Charles vi. Now, just before you meet him, I wanted to remind you that the this is history. Royal court is thriving. There you can find our band of passionate medievalists. We like to call them the Royal Favourites, who chat more about the show, their medieval travel bucket list and of course, chat with Dan, me and the production team. It's a place where you can dig deeper into the history behind each episode and I'd love to see you there. Hit patreon.com thisishistory to find out more. Now let's head over the channel to friends. Torchlight flickers off the riot of brilliantly colored stained glass that soars toward the vaulted ceiling. Everyone whose anyone is milling around, gossiping, chatting and drinking the finest wines France has to offer. There's a buzz of anticipation in the air here at the Sainte Chapelle in the heart of Paris. At the front of the room sits France's beloved king, the handsome and charismatic 20 year old Charles VI. Tonight he's polished to perfection and wearing his royal crown upon his golden head. Charles has been king since he was 11 years old and he's completely at home in this crowd of admirers, relaxed and at ease on his throne. At the flare of trumpets, everyone turns toward the door. The noisy chatter subsides into excited whispering. The King stands and walks forward with a grin, not quite able to conceal his eagerness. Into the hall steps his 19 year old queen, Isabeau of Bavaria, resplendent in a deep blue gown embroidered with glittering gold fleur de lis. Isabeau's gait is somewhat less exuberant than her eager husband's, slowed as she is by her third trimester of pregnancy. But her smile is just as wide. Everyone's eyes are drawn to her gleaming golden crown. Crown placed upon her head only yesterday at the cathedral of Notre Dame when she pledged her life to the service of France as its newly anointed queen. More and more people enter the hall bearing trays of food and litters covered in gifts for the royal couple. The noise reaches deafening levels. In the crush, the pregnant queen begins to feel overheated and overwhelmed. As panic begins to set in, she starts looking around desperately for her husband. In an instant, Charles is there at her side. He takes one look at the face of his beloved and orders that a window be broken to give her some air. The beautiful stained glass shatters, falling to the floor in a rainbow of brightly colored shards. Revived by the breeze, the Queen smiles at the crowd who breaks into applause at this gallant display of love and chivalry. As the King leads the Queen to her throne, resting his hand briefly on her swollen belly, the people exchange knowing glances. Charles and Isabeau are the perfect couple. Young, beautiful, already parents and at ease with the burden of the crown. With a couple like this leading the kingdom, what could possibly go wrong? Little do they know that the peace and prosperity of the Kingdom of France will prove to be as beautiful and fragile as a pane of glass. I'm Danielle Cypolsky and from Sony Music Entertainment, this Is History presents the Glass King Episode 1 Fracture.
- [04:42]
Dan Jones
In the Middle Ages when the French King is captured and put into the Tower of London, France goes into full blown anarchy. If only they'd had access to Indeed, they could have found the perfect replacement king straight away and saved the country from total meltdown. That's because when it comes to hiring, Indeed is all you need. Indeed Sponsored jobs help you stand out and hire Fast. That makes a huge difference. According to Indeed data, sponsored jobs posted directly on indeed have 45% more applications than non sponsored jobs. So while it's too late for medieval French revolutionaries, it's the perfect time for you to get your job seen by the right people fast. And listeners of this show will get a £100 sponsored job credit. To get your jobs more visibility@ Indeed.com dynasty, just go to Indeed.com dynasty right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com dynasty terms and conditions apply. Hiring Indeed is all you need.
- [05:44]
Danielle Cybulsky
It's 1389 and Charles VI is on top of the world. For a while there, things have been touch and go for France. It was only a few decades ago when the English were handing the French their derrieres on the regular at battles like Crecy and Poitiers. But when the English King Edward III started to lose his marbles, Charles dad Charles V took full advantage, reclaiming territory after territory until by the mid-1370s, France was just about where it had been before the whole war started. You can learn more about that in season six, episode five. Sadly for the French, Charles V's territorial triumphs came to a sudden end when he died in 1380, leaving his 11 year old son, our Charles, on the throne. Fortunately for little King Charles, his dad had a bunch of powerful brothers who were used to fighting the English, namely Philip the Bold Duke of Burgundy and John, Duke of Berry, along with a couple of also ran uncles, both named Louis. For the most part, John of Barry stayed out of the way, content with whatever the political situation happened to be so long as he stayed rich, while Philip the Bold dove into the Regency with both feet. Under the guardianship of the royal uncles, Charles was given every opportunity a young king should be. He was tutored in all the usual school subjects, shown how to ride a horse and hold a sword, and indoctrinated with a healthy dislike of the English. A chronicler called The Monk of St. Denis described Charles as above average height, with a good complexion and sparkling eyes. Blessed by nature, he had a strong and manly physique, with only one endearing a royal combover. His hair, the Monk says, was abundant, though once he became a man, he used to draw it forward from the crown to the forehead as he bore baldness with difficulty. Charles may have been a fine specimen of a man, what with all that archery and jousting, but what really made him remarkable was his kindness and generosity of spirit. The Monk writes. He excelled so greatly in affability that he would unexpectedly and by name extend greetings even to people of humble rank and to those wishing to approach or meet him. He would either freely offer conversation or not refuse it when requested. And thus, for as long as he lived, he showed himself lovable to all. Like a medieval Lewis Hamilton, Charles was the guy you could count on to sign autographs and take selfies with on the red carpet. The guy is just so likable that he becomes known as Charles the Beloved. At his side throughout his childhood was Charles, little brother and BFF Louis of Orleans. Together the brothers partied, tournamented and dreamed of what heights they could achieve when Charles finally shook off the yoke of his overbearing uncle Philip. Philip had made it his life's mission to expand his Duchy of Burgundy, a large territory on the eastern border of France, acquiring as many counties as he could and creating alliances he knew he could count on. If the English got uppity again when his brother died and Philip became a co regent of the boy king, Charles vi, Philip the Bold was handed yet another golden opportunity. Sometimes this went badly for little Charles, like the time Philip's greedy tax policy created a teensy weensy multi city rebellion in 1383. But sometimes it went really, really well. One of those times began at a wedding, namely the wedding of Philip the Bold's son, John the Fearless, who we'll learn a lot more about in the coming episodes. To a woman named Margaret of Bavaria. Philip had broken the marriage to ensure his dynasty was entwined with one of the oldest, most powerful families of the Holy Roman Empire. As he watched the happy union play out, it occurred to Philip that more connections might be even more beneficial for him. Of course, Philip suggested to the Duke of Bavaria that his nephew, the eligible bachelor King of France, could do with a Bavarian bride of his own. The Duke agreed under the puzzling condition that his daughter Isabeau not be told that she was being sent out on the marriage market. And so clueless as to the true purpose of her journey, 15 year old Isabel visited some relatives in Flanders, receiving an involuntary makeover in the process to rid her of her unfashionable Germanness. Fresh from her French glow up, Isabel found herself presented to 17 year old King Charles. While she probably figured out pretty quickly that she was being inspected, what Isabel may not have known was that Cupid had hit Charles right between the eyes. Hard. Just days later, before you could say ooh la la, the two were married. Luckily, the attraction was mutual with a beautiful bride and a useful alliance checked off the list. Charles attention was now turned to the kingly business of warfare. At the urging of Philip The Bold, in 1386, he put together a massive invasion for ready to take advantage of England's political instability under fellow teenaged King Richard ii. You may remember from season seven of this Is History that Richard was feeling so sulky about being asked to do something about this imminent French invasion that he threw a massive temper tantrum. He threatened to ask Charles to defend him against his mean old Parliament. To be fair to Richard, Charles was probably the only person who could truly understand what he was up against. But Charles was also far more worldly than his naive narcissist of a cousin. If all had gone according to plan, Charles would have helped Richard right off the throne of England. Unfortunately, the capricious weather of the English Channel that year made invasion impossible possible, and the fleet had to be disbanded without ever setting sail. Disappointing, sure, but if Charles was honest with himself, it was just as well. He was far more interested in tournaments and spending time with his beautiful wife than he was in conquest anyway. And besides, it's awfully hard to fund an invasion when your avaricious oak uncles are bleeding you dry. Between Uncle Philip's love of acquiring new lands and Uncle John's love of fashion, art and illuminated manuscripts, the French treasury had been increasingly disappearing into their pockets ever since Charles had become king. By 1388, he decided he'd had enough. The 19 year old king took the reins into his own hands, appointing a new collection of church trusted people he chose to his new royal council and making his little brother Louis his right hand man. From now on, the younger generation was going to rule as they saw fit. All that was left was to ensure that Charles's beloved Queen Isabeau got the respect she deserved. And so in 1389, as her coronation party swirls around him at the Sainte Chapelle, Charles looks at his wife Isabeau and knows that his future is going to be bright. He couldn't be more wrong.
- [13:45]
Dan Jones
I'm going to let you in on a secret. My life began toiling away in a field, battling for scraps with fellow peasants. Then I convinced my feudal overlords to teach me how to read and write. Then I wrote some books and then this podcast. But to impress my new overlords, there's a lot of work that needs doing. I wish I'd had Shopify when I first started out back in the middle ages. This commerce platform has been a game changer for millions of guilds, leagues and businesses around the world like Mattel and Heinz. To brands just getting started. You can pick from thousands of ready made templates to start an online store, get help writing product descriptions and to launch marketing campaigns within minutes. It's like having the Hanseatic League at the touch of a button. So turn your big business idea into With Shopify on your side, sign up for your one pound per month trial and start selling today at shopify.co.uk thisishistory. Go to shopify.co.uk thisISHistory shopify.co.uk thisIShistory hi.
- [14:46]
Jonathan Van Ness
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- [15:54]
Danielle Cybulsky
The horses plod their way steadily through the forest of le Mans. It's August 1392 and the sun beats down on the heads of King Charles small army as they march their way slowly into Brittany. One of Charles subjects has tried to assassinate his friend, the constable of France, Olivier de Clisson, and Charles intends to set things right. It's a hot day for vengeance, but at least they're in the relative cool of the forest. As the company passes a small leprosarium, a home for people with leprosy, a man appears dressed in white and throws himself toward the king's horse. He's wild eyed, spit flying from his mouth as he screams, king, go no further. Turn back, you're betrayed. Charles turns his horse sharply to avoid stepping on the man. He looks towards his brother Louis to see what he thinks of all this. But Louis just rolls his eyes and rides on. Immediately, the king's guards pull the man away and the company continues. But the man follows, shouting his warning over and over. He's hysterical, adamant, and it's a full half hour before they finally manage to leave him behind. Charles knows better than to listen to the ravings of a madman and he tries to put the dire warnings out of his head. He loosens the laces of his black velvet tunic and tries to think about something else. But what if the man is right? As the company leaves the forest behind, riding out onto a sandy plain, the two young pages riding behind the king fight to stay awake in the merciless midday sun. Overcome with drowsiness, one of them nods off his lance falls from his hands and clashes against the helmet of the boy in front. Startled at the sound, the king's horse spooks and rears and something within Charles snapshot. He draws his sword and begins swinging it wildly, shouting forward advance on these traitors. Panicked and blind with delusion, Charles spurs his horse and rides at Louis, who flinches in horror and flees out of range. The king swings around and attacks the men closest to him, bringing his sword down again and again. Stunned, his bodyguards quickly regroup and form a protective sword circle containing the violence. As much as they can, they call out to him, plead with him. But Charles has passed far beyond reason. Unwilling to raise a weapon against their king, the men brace themselves against Charles furious blows and wait for the storm to Pass. Finally, the king collapses to the ground, his body feverish, his eyes rolling in his head. On the forest floor around him lie the lifeless bodies of five of his most dedicated men. The unconscious king is rushed back to Le Mans to recover, while his doctor, uncles and terrified younger brother tried to puzzle out what happened. It's true that the king had been sick for months with fever, and that everyone had told him not to set out today, but he wouldn't listen. And it's true that it was exceptionally hot, and didn't his mother once go a little off the rails after she gave birth? One time. But that's normal, isn't it? The monk of St. Denis, who claims to have been on this campaign, remarks in hindsight that earlier that month, even when he was seemingly recovered from his fever, the king had already begun acting strangely. He from the beginning of August, the king had acted like a man not in his right mind, saying foolish things and making gestures unworthy of royal majesty. Unfortunately for us, he doesn't tell us just what those unkingly gestures were. But even so, being rude and saying dumb things is one thing. Homicidal mania is quite another. For two days, Charles lies unconscious. The monk writes. Soon his condition worsened. His body began to grow cold. Only his chest still retained a remnant of warmth and life, barely distinguishable by the slight beating of his heart. Even the doctors declared that the king was going to die in despair. The court waits and be praise. And in a rare moment of vulnerability, Charles's uncle, Philip the Bold, breaks down at the king's bedside. According to the monk, he cried out, my beloved sire and nephew, I beg you, relieve my pain with just a word. The news that the French king has suddenly gone mad and started killing off his own men is juicy gossip, and it spreads like wildfire. Soon the English ambassadors show up at the door. Philip the Bold, not a big fan of the English at the best of times, snaps that they must be overjoyed at this calamity. Miraculously, on the third day, Charles opens his eyes. Gently, his attendants tell him the details of what happened. For a king who cared enough to remember the names of even the lowliest people in his retinue, the news that he had murdered five of them is devastating. He begs for forgiveness. Sick, weak and heartbroken, Charles insists on going to mass. While there, he unburdens himself in confession and takes communion. The priest forgives his sins, but Charles struggles to forgive himself. For weeks, he rests and consults his royal doctors. The prognosis is not good. They believe Charles may have inherited his illness from his mother and they believe it's likely to get worse.
- [22:24]
Unknown
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- [23:50]
Danielle Cybulsky
A month after the incident, Charles gets it together enough to send a message to a concerned Richard II that he's totally fine now, don't worry about a thing. But nobody, not even Charles himself, knows if this is actually true. For any family, a sudden violent mental breakdown would be heartbreakingly tragic. For a royal family, it's disastrous. Medieval law had plenty of legal contingencies for people who had been born with mental illness, or even for people who returned from war with traumatic head injuries or PTSD that altered their personalities. Generally, the person's care and keeping was put into the hands of their family until they got better. Or even into the hands of the king himself himself. But what happens when the person who's ill is the king? If a king is unable to rule, it's usually because he's dead. Which means the crown passes directly to his oldest son or his brother if he doesn't have any sons. If Charles is temporarily indisposed, the kingdom should be ruled by the counselors he put in place when he emancipated himself in 1388. But if the situation looks permanent, maybe France should be ruled by the next in line in the succession. The trouble is the heir to Charles throne is currently just out of the cradle. So then technically, the regency should be in the hands of either the kid's mother, Queen Isabeau, or the kid's uncle, Louis of Orleans. Right. In the confusion, Philip the Bold steps in. The King, he says, is not dead, so the kingdom shouldn't go to the heir. And as for the king's 18 year old brother, Louis of Orleans, forget it. King Charles is merely unable to make decisions, which means he's like a child, which means that his old childhood rules should kick in and therefore I'm in charge again. Philip's brother, John of Berry, is heartily on board with this new plan. Philip sweeps away Charles hand picked counselors and takes what he thinks is his rightful place at the top of the food chain. Queen Isabeau takes charge of the royal children and Louis is left out in the cold. It's a slight he won't soon forget. Philip the Bold knows that the King's council is not made up of his biggest fans. So it's not enough to just jettison them from Paris and call it a day. A more permanent solution would be ideal. And so the man who was so tenderly concerned with the fate of his nephew that he wept at his bedside promptly puts the screws to him. Philip tries to convince Charles that his counselors are actually traitors and they probably should be executed for good measure. John of Barry nods along helpfully. The Monk of St. Denis reports that the citizens of Paris are so convinced that there will be some executions that they start hanging out in the Place de Greve, just so they don't miss anything. But even under the relentless barrage of his uncle's complaints, Charles leans on the strength of character he's always been known for and refuses to sell out his friends. No, his uncles may not execute them, thank you very much, but Charles is weak and psychologically wrung out from his ordeal, and he knows it. While he won't let them kill anybody, much to the apparent disappointment of the Parisians, he allows Uncle Philip and Uncle John to jail the council for six months. With the pesky reformers out of the way, the royal uncles get back to their old school business as usual, lining their own pockets while their nephew struggles to recover. As the year comes to a close, Charles does seem to recover. Little by little, he gets stronger. He starts making public appearances and royal decisions. He even starts hanging out with his brother Louis again, with no hard feelings over the whole attempted murder thing back in the summer. And he spends quality time with his Queen Isabeau, who is soon pregnant again with their sixth child. The summer of 1392 had been terrifying for the royal family, for the kingdom of France, and certainly for Charles himself. Thank goodness it's all over and things can get back to normal. But the beautiful dream of the reign of King Charles the Beloved has been fractured and it's about to shatter into a million pieces. Find out how next time on this is History presents the Glass King. Hello again, It's Danielle here now. I really hope you enjoyed the debut episode of this Is History spin off series, the Glass King. As you may know from Dan's last season, he's built up a little royal court made up of what he calls the royal favorites. And after each episode, he asks the favourites to help him out with a question. While Dan's taking a well earned break, I'm stepping in as Queen Regent. So this time I'm asking the questions. So, my dear royal favourites, my question is, given Cupid's strike on Charles and Isabeau, who do you think is your cutest royal couple from the Middle Ages? Look out for producer Al's question on Patreon. Visit patreon.com thisishistory to join the discussion.