General Notes

Charles VI, b.  Dec.  3, 1368, d.  Oct.  21, 1422, was the son of Charles V
and king of France from 1380 to 1422.  Still a child when he succeeded his
father, he was dominated by his selfish uncles (notably Philip the Bold of
Burgundy) until they were ousted in 1388 by a coalition of royal officials and
northwestern nobles led by the constable Olivier de Clisson. In the next four
years, Charles instituted governmental reforms and economies, but after 1392
he suffered from recurrent insanity.  The dukes of Burgundy and Orleans
struggled for power, and in the ensuing civil war Henry V of England
successfully invaded France (1415) and forced Charles to disinherit his
remaining son and accept Henry as his heir.