On August 1, 1708, Archduke Charles of Austria, the future Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, married Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel in a grand ceremony at the cathedral of Innsbruck. The marriage was arranged during the War of the Spanish Succession as part of Charles’s efforts to strengthen his political position and his claim to the Spanish throne.

Elisabeth Christine, a Protestant princess from the House of Welf, converted to Catholicism before the wedding, a significant step that helped secure her place within the powerful Habsburg dynasty. She became a devoted partner to Charles and later served as Holy Roman Empress after his accession in 1711.

In 1393, a lavish masquerade in Paris turned into one of the darkest moments of the reign of Charles VI of France. Known as the Bal des Ardents (“Ball of the Burning Men”), the event was organized to celebrate a wedding. King Charles VI and five noblemen dressed as “wild men,” wearing costumes covered with flammable materials including pitch, flax, and hemp to create the appearance of hairy forest creatures.

Because of the danger of the costumes, the king ordered that torches and open flames be kept away from the performers. However, his brother Louis I, Duke of Orléans arrived late and intoxicated. Wanting a closer look at the dancers, he brought a lit torch near the performers. A spark ignited the costumes, and the flames quickly spread, killing four of the noblemen in a horrific blaze.

Charles VI survived the disaster because his young aunt, Joanna of Bourbon, Duchess of Berry, recognized him during the chaos and helped save him by covering him with her heavy silk dress, which smothered the flames. The tragedy left a lasting mark on the French monarchy and became a symbol of the dangers and excesses of medieval court life.

On July 17, 1385, the young King Charles VI of France, aged 17, married Isabeau of Bavaria, who was only 16 years old. The marriage was arranged as a political alliance, strengthening ties between the French crown and the powerful Wittelsbach dynasty of Bavaria.

The union took place during the early reign of Charles VI, who had become king as a child and was initially guided by his uncles. Isabeau would become one of the most influential queens in French history, playing a major role in court politics during a turbulent period marked by the Hundred Years’ War and the king’s later struggles with mental illness.

When Charles VI of France inherited the French throne in 1380, he was welcomed as a symbol of hope. Crowned at just 11 years old, he grew into a popular ruler known for his kindness, earning the affectionate nickname "Charles the Beloved." Under his early reign, France enjoyed a period of stability as he gradually took control from the powerful nobles who had governed during his childhood.

Everything changed in 1392. While leading a military expedition through a forest near Le Mans, Charles suddenly suffered a terrifying mental breakdown. In a fit of madness, he attacked his own knights, killing several before being restrained. It was the first of many episodes that would haunt the rest of his life.

As his condition worsened, Charles experienced delusions so bizarre that they shocked the royal court. At times, he failed to recognize his wife and children. On one occasion, he believed he was made of glass and refused to let anyone touch him, fearing he would shatter. During his periods of insanity, rival factions of the French nobility fought bitterly for control of the kingdom.

Charles's illness plunged France into political chaos. The feud between the Armagnacs and Burgundians erupted into civil war, weakening the kingdom just as England renewed the Hundred Years' War. This instability paved the way for England's greatest victories, including the devastating defeat of France at the Battle of Agincourt.

On June 30, 1722, the Hungarian Diet (Parliament) formally addressed Emperor Charles VI’s Pragmatic Sanction, which aimed to secure the inheritance of the Habsburg lands for his daughter Maria Theresa in the absence of a male heir.

While Charles VI sought recognition of female succession across his territories, the Hungarian nobility resisted parts of the agreement, defending their traditional rights and the privileges of the Hungarian crown. The negotiations reflected the long-standing tension between Habsburg central authority and Hungary’s desire to preserve its constitutional independence.

Hundred Years' War

The Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) was an intermittent conflict between England and France lasting 116 years. It began principally because King Edward III (r. 1327-1377) and Philip VI (r. 1328-1350) escalated a dispute over feudal rights in Gascony to a battle for the French Crown. The French eventually won and gained control of all of France except Calais.

At first, the English won great victories at the battles of Crécy (1346) and Poitiers (1356) but then Charles V of France (r. 1364-1380) steadily regained much of the lands lost since the start of the war. After a period of peace when Richard II of England (r. 1377-1399) married the daughter of Charles VI of France (r. 1380-1422), the war exploded into action again with the Battle of Agincourt (1415), won by Henry V of England (r. 1413-1422). Henry was nominated the heir to the French throne but his early death and the ineffectual rule of Henry VI of England (r. 1422-61 & 1470-71) resulted in Charles VII of France (r. 1422-1461) retaking the initiative. With help from such figures as Joan of Arc (1412-1431), the French won crucial battles at Formigny (1450) and Castillon (1453) to bring final victory.

War & Peace

The Hundred Years' War was a conflict between the monarchs of France and England. Starting in 1337 and not finally ended until 1453, the war lasted for 116 years, albeit not with continuous fighting but also long periods of peace included. The name we use today for the war was only coined in the 19th century. The Hundred Years' War is traditionally divided into three phases for the purposes of study and to reflect the important periods of peace between the two countries:

The Edwardian War (1337-1360) after Edward III of England

The Caroline War (1369-1389) after Charles V of France.

The Lancastrian War (1415-1453) after the royal house of England, the Lancasters.