King Charles VI of France (1368-1422) had difficulty ruling his kingdom because he firmly believed he was made of glass. This was a psychotic delusion that led the monarch to take extraordinary measures to prevent himself breaking. He was also convinced that others were trying to kill him and lashed out uncontrollably.
In one incident, he killed four of his own knights, falsely believing they were attacking him. On another occasion, he went for his brother – Louis d’Orléans – who only just escaped with his life. The king suffered a series of psychotic episodes. His advisers were aware that Charles wasn’t in his right mind and tried to calm him down. But his behaviour became increasingly erratic.
The pope noted that the king had metal rods sewn into his royal robes in the belief that they would protect his royal glass body from being chipped or broken.
DISCOVER: Maddest rulers in history
This glass delusion was observed during the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance – a time when exotic glass products were spreading and becoming more accessible to the nobility. The theory runs that the psychotic mind latches on to the trends and developments of the day. In the modern era, the king might have imagined he was made of plastic, silicon or carbon fibre. Or that he had a computer chip in his brain.
Other cases of “glass men” at this time included one person who believed his buttocks were made of glass – and that if he had sat down, they would shatter into a million pieces. I love the story of the man who thought the surface of the planet was made of glass, underneath which was a mass of serpents. If he left his bed, he would crack the surface and fall headlong among the writhing snakes.
Another man is reported to have travelled to the Italian glass making centre of Murano. Sure he was made of glass, he wanted to chuck himself into the kiln and be melted down to form a gorgeous goblet.
