25. Thanks to his strange delusion, the French monarch soon became known as “Charles the Mad”
King Charles VI’s strange delusion meant that he would never allow anyone – not even his own wife – to touch him. He genuinely feared that if he were manhandled in any way, he could shatter completely. The French King, by now widely known as “Charles the Mad”, rarely left his quarters. When he did venture out, he was terrified of bumping into a door or furniture. To protect himself, he had his tailors reinforce his clothes with extra padding and even steel rods. But not even this would make him feel safe. The monarch’s glass delusion had taken over his life.
