These 20 Historical Figures With Severe Mental Issues Helped Shape The World

1. Charles VI of France Didn’t Allow People to Touch him Because he Believed he was Made from Glass

Despite ruling France for forty-two years (1380 to 1422), the notorious French king went down in history as “Charles the Mad” and in all honesty, the word mad might be too soft a description. Possibly suffering from various mental disorders, there were times he could not remember his name or that he was king, while he couldn’t recognize his wife and children occasionally. However, he is particularly famous for his glass delusion, an external manifestation of a psychiatric disorder recorded in Europe mainly in the late Middle Ages.

Charles believed he was made of glass and didn’t allow others to get near him so they wouldn’t touch him and break his body. Strangely, when he was unafflicted, the “glass” king loved to exercise and play popular physical sports of his era. When his demons appeared in his mind though, he became a different man. He could sit in a room motionless for hours or even days. Although contemporary psychiatrists are hesitant to diagnose with certainty historical mental illness without meeting the patient in person, they all seem to agree that other than glass delusion, Charles VI was a certified nutcake.

Where did we find this stuff? Here are our sources:

History Collection – Famous People with Schizophrenia and Other Relatable Mental Illnesses

The Conversation – Winston Churchill and His ‘Black Dog’ Of Greatness

Langworth, Richard, ed. Churchill in his own Words, Ebury Press, 2008.

Heller, Reinhold, ed. (1984). Munch: His Life and Work. London: Murray.

Wood, Michael (2001). In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great: A Journey from Greece to Asia. University of California Press.

Google Arts & Culture – 4 Things You Might Not Know About ‘The Scream’

Moore, James (2009). “Darwin – A ‘Devil’s Chaplain’?”

ICR – Was Charles Darwin Psychotic? A Study of His Mental Health

Weaver, Helen. The Awakener: A Memoir of Jack Kerouac and the Fifties. City Lights, 2009.

Suetonius, The Lives of Twelve Caesars, Life of Tiberius 26-32

Suetonius, The Lives of Twelve Caesars, Life of Caligula 35