Get Europe 1440

King Charles VI, ruler of France from 1380 to 1422, held a strange conviction: he believed he was made of glass. To protect his fragile body, he dressed in special reinforced clothing. Terrified that he would shatter at their touch, he forbade his courtiers to come near him.

They are typically emotionally neglected, experience severe pressure to be problem-free and perfect, take on parental responsibilities within the family at a young age, and have an overwhelming need to make others happy. All this while receiving little nurturing and support in their development years.”

Glass delusion is an external manifestation of a psychiatric disorder recorded in Europe mainly in the late Middle Ages and early modern period (15th to 17th centuries). People feared that they were made of glass "and therefore likely to shatter into pieces".

Glass children are siblings of a person with a disability. The word glass means people tend to see right through them and focus only on the person with the disability. “Glass” is also used because the children appear strong, but in reality are not. These children have needs that are not being met.

Glass delusion is an external manifestation of a psychiatric disorder recorded in Europe mainly in the late Middle Ages and early modern period (15th to 17th centuries). People feared that they were made of glass "and therefore likely to shatter into pieces".

The “glass delusion” was a regularly recorded condition in early modern Europe, especially between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries. Fears of broken buttocks, shattered arms, and fragile heads were so common that the delusion almost seemed like an epidemic.

One of the most famous of these is in Miguel de Cervantes' (1547-1616) short story entitled The Glass Graduate (1613). In this tale, the hero is poisoned when eating a quince, which was meant to have been an aphrodisiac. The trauma from the event manifested into a glass delusion.

Known as “the glass delusion,” this psychological malady, first recorded in the Middle Ages, would become quite common before virtually dying out in the late 19th century.