Charles VI’s Madness and the Legacy of Royal Health Myths

Charles VI of France, dubbed the Glass King, provides a window into how medieval courts recorded madness and how such accounts became entwined with later myths about the health of British monarchs. In this episode we sift contemporary chronicles, medical theory of the time, and modern scholarship to trace how Charles’ lineage—through alliances like Catherine of Aragon and Mary Queen of Scots—and subsequent royal families have been wrapped in legends of hereditary illness. We examine what the surviving evidence actually says and where speculation has taken over. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices