Short articles on the personal lives of peculiar Royals in history. The absolute power they enjoyed often brought out the worst features of their character. Many Royals had egocentric, megalomaniac or paranoid tendencies and their mental states ranged from severe psychotic and psycho-organic disorders to personality disorders and light neuroses. Although not all Royals in this series were clinically mad, they certainly were peculiar. See also: madmonarchs.nl
Emperor Charles the Bald (823-77) was a grandson of Charlemagne. He married twice and had several sons and daughters. In 855 Charles the Bald passed the rebellious Kingdom of Aquitaine to his son Young Charles (±847-866).
Charles The Bald
As Charles the Child became a teenager, he tried to exercise what little personal authority he could. In 862 he married a widow without his father's consent. Charles the Bald suppressed his son’s rebellion and forced Young Charles to put away his wife.
In 864 Charles apparently intended to play a joke on one Albuin during a hunt, ambushing him and stealing his horse. Albuin believed the assault to be genuine, and hit Charles on the head with his sword. Brain damage due to the blow left Charles mentally incapacitated. He never recovered and died 2 years later on September 29, 866.
Sources: J. Bradbury's The Capetians (Kings of France 987-1328) & wikipedia.
