---
title: The Madness of Charles VI
author: François-Auguste Biard
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20896/the-madness-of-charles-vi/
format: machine-readable-alternate
updated: 2025-08-29
---

# The Madness of Charles VI

_Authored by François-Auguste Biard_

## Image File

[![The Madness of Charles VI](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/20896.jpg)](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/20896.jpg)

## Image Caption

*The Exorcism of Charles VI's Madness*, oil on canvas painting by François-Auguste Biard, 1839.

King [Charles VI of France](https://www.worldhistory.org/Charles_VI_of_France/) is shown in the foreground, overcome with mental illness, and leans on his mistress, Odette de Champdivers, whose expression conveys exhaustion and sympathy for her lover. In the background, cloaked and standing in the shadows, are two Augustinian monks performing an exorcism on the king. This 19th-century painting portrays religious notions of mental illness as being connected to some divine or demonic element in 14th- and 15th-century France.

Museum der Bildenden Künste, Leipzig.

## Cite This Work

### APA
Biard, F. (2025, August 29). The Madness of Charles VI. *World History Encyclopedia*. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20896/the-madness-of-charles-vi/>
### Chicago
Biard, François-Auguste. "The Madness of Charles VI." *World History Encyclopedia*, August 29, 2025. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20896/the-madness-of-charles-vi/>.
### MLA
Biard, François-Auguste. "The Madness of Charles VI." *World History Encyclopedia*, 29 Aug 2025, <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20896/the-madness-of-charles-vi/>.

## License & Copyright

[Original image](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fran%C3%A7ois-Auguste_Biard_-_L%27Exorcisme_de_la_folie_de_Charles_VI.jpg) by [**François-Auguste Biard**](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fran%C3%A7ois-Auguste_Biard_-_L%27Exorcisme_de_la_folie_de_Charles_VI.jpg). Submitted by [Harrison W. Mark](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/harrisonwmark/ "User Page: Harrison W. Mark"), published on 29 August 2025. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Public Domain](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain). This item is in the public domain, and can be used, copied, and modified without any restrictions. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.