10 Maddest People Ever To Be In Charge Of A Country
4. Charles VI Of France Thought He Was Made Of Glass
Charles VI was a madman in the classical mould. He came to power at 11 and emerged from the control of his corrupt uncles at 21. He seemed like a pretty good king as such things go, until he had a severe illness and came out of it a wild-eyed, delusional murderer, and then all bets were off.
He killed a quartet of knights for no apparent reason in 1392 while travelling through the country, and thereafter caused the French people to ditch the nickname 'Charles the Beloved' and attach the less romantic 'Charles the Mad'.
His most famous delusion was that he was made of glass and would shatter if anyone touched him, which became a fashionable thing to believe in France at the time because that's the kind of thing that happens when your king is mad. He also forgot he had a wife, beat up palace servants, and ran away until he collapsed.
It's likely Charles VI suffered from a genuine mental illness triggered by a physical ailment, though no one can be sure what it was. He is a poster boy for mad monarchs everywhere, and a tragic figure who could have been one of the really good kings had he not gone insane.