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Origins of the court jester -

The earliest records of the use of jesters date back to ancient Egypt and imperial Rome. The Romans called their court fools balatrones, entertainers who were paid for their jests.

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Far East mirth -

On the other side of the ancient world, a Han dynasty scholar known as Dongfang Shuo was characterized by chroniclers as someone "rich in words, a man of jests and witticisms." Dongfang Shuo subsequently became the court jester to Emperor Wu.

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The household fool -

In Europe, reference to so-called household fools emerged in the 12th century.

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Buffoons of old -

They were known as buffoons—mostly ludicrous figures, ill-educated but with a talent as comedic performers.

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The jestour, or jongleur -

In the French language, a performing fool was known as a gestour, or jestour. He was also called a jongleur, a word that describes a professional storyteller or public entertainer.

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The royal stage -

Throughout Europe during the medieval period, jesters were no longer seen as itinerant performers. Instead, their numbers were increasingly employed to entertain a monarch or a member of the nobility. 

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A man for all seasons -

What's more, these figures of fun were now being drawn from a wide range of society. A jester might ordinarily be an academic down on his luck, or an errant monk kicked out of a monastery for galivanting with a nun. Or he may be an apprentice of a village blacksmith with exceptional verbal or musical flair.

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The medieval jester -

The medieval jester was a colorful character. They wore bright clothes and eccentric hats.

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The marotte -

An essential prop was the marotte. This was a stick or scepter with a carved miniature head on it, often depicting a grotesque, grinning likeness of the jester himself.

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A vital prop -

The marotte was used by the jester to punctuate his speech. He'd shake it to stress a word or to emphasize a punchline. Sometimes he'd wave it in the air to interrupt the sovereign, something only done if he had the full support and confidence of his employer.

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Merrymaking with music -

A good jester was a man for all seasons. In other words, he could call upon an eclectic range of skills to please his master. An ability to play music and sing was a prerequisite.

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Quick on their toes -

A jester nimble on his feet was always in demand. If he could dance, great. But as a gifted acrobat, a jester could quickly climb to the top of his tree.

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Skilled storyteller -

Part of a jester's job description required an aptitude for storytelling. Commanding a court audience using only the spoken word was a rare talent, and only the most eloquent could pull it off.

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A stand-up of his time -

Like today's stand-up comedians, a medieval jester would pepper his dialogue with contemporary jokes about people or events familiar to his audience.

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Making monarchs laugh -

Fame of sorts embraced a handful of jesters whose abilities to a make a monarch laugh secured their position in an often volatile and edgy royal court atmosphere.

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Taillefer -

The jester known as Taillefer was a Norman jongleur who rode with William the Conqueror. Taillefer was present at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, and apparently sang at the English troops while juggling his sword. Taillefer later fell on the battlefield and, while he's not identified by name on the Bayeux Tapestry, his likeness may well be.

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Roland the Farter -

One highly unusual talent possessed by the court jester to Henry II of France was the ability to flatulate at will, letting rip voluminous emissions of gas on command. He was known as Roland the Farter. A professional flatulist, Roland's windy performances elicited howls of laughter as he danced, jumped, and blew off in one simultaneous and no doubt smelly move!

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Borra -

"I nearly died laughing" is an often quoted verbal reaction to a funny joke. But when King Martin I of Aragon called on his jester, Borra, to entertain him as he lay on his sick bead, Borra's joke was so funny it finished the monarch off. Borra's jape went as follows: "In the next vineyard, where I saw a young deer hanging by his tail from a tree, as if someone had so punished him for stealing figs." The weakened monarch apparently laughed non-stop for three hours before rolling out of bed and dying on the floor.

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Stańczyk -

The 16th-century Polish court jester called Stańczyk was employed by three kings: Alexander, Sigismund the Old, and Sigismund Augustus. Anything but a household fool, Stańczyk is remembered for being the only person present at one particular royal ball to be troubled by the news that the Muscovites had captured Smolensk during the fourth Muscovite–Lithuanian War. He's remembered today as an individual of great intelligence and a political philosopher gifted with formidable insight into Poland.

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Will Sommers -

William Sommers was the best-known court jester of Henry VIII. Known as the "King's Fool," Sommer's position was a precarious one, given his master's propensity for doing away with those he didn't like. Sommers ultimately outlived the fearsome monarch, eventually retiring during the reign of Elizabeth I.

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Jane Foole -

Jane Foole was one of those rare breeds, a female jester. Likely christened Jane Beden, she was the the fool of queens Catherine Parr and Mary I, and possibly also of Anne Boleyn. It's suggested that Jane Foole was the wife of William Sommers. The pair certainly performed together, even dressing in matching outfits. Jane, incidentally, was classed as a "natural fool," one of those unfortunate souls who were deemed "mentally defective." An "artificial fool" was someone who intentionally clowned around for fun.

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João de Sá -

João de Sá was another anomaly in the annals of the court jester. He was a black African in the employ of the Portuguese king, Dom João III, and his queen, Catherine. Brought to Europe as a slave, João de Sá became a court jester after pleasing their majesties with his witty humor. He was eventually elevated to gentleman courtier of the Royal Household.

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Richard Tarleton -

Court jester to Elizabeth I, Richard Tarleton also rose above his position to become one of the foremost actors of the Elizabethan Age. His comic doggerel verse came to be known as "Tarltons." His influence was such that Tarleton helped turn Elizabethan theater into a form of mass entertainment, paving the way for the Shakespearean stage.

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Mathurine de Valois -

Perhaps the most celebrated of female jesters was Mathurine de Valois, who served at the French royal court under kings Henry III, Henry IV, and Louis XIII. De Valois regularly dressed as an Amazon warrior. She also on occasion donned men's clothing. It's said that de Valois' witticisms were so funny she could ridicule people out of their Protestant faith and make them Catholics again.

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Sebastián de Morra -

Many jesters employed during the medieval-era were hired not just for their wit, but for their appearance. This meant that if you suffered a physical deformity—skeletal dysplasia (dwarfism), for example—you stood a good chance of ending up performing in front of royalty. One such individual was Sebastián de Morra, the jester at the court of Philip IV of Spain. This famous painting by Diego Velázquez shows a dejected de Morra, suggesting that the painting represents a denunciation of the court's treatment of de Morra and other dwarfs.

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Jeffrey Hudson -

Jeffrey Hudson was another dwarf appointed to the royal court, his employer being Queen Henrietta Maria, who hired him in in 1626. Hudson's party trick was legendary: he would leap unannounced from a huge pie dressed in a miniature suit of armor.

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John Wilmot -

Labeled the unofficial jester of England's 17th-century Restoration Era, John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester was in fact a courtier in Charles II's service. Armed with a quick wit and poetic disposition, Wilmot was quick to please the court, though his rakish and promiscuous lifestyle led to an early death, at 33 years old.

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Jamie Fleeman -

Scottish jester Jamie Fleeman was known as  the "Laird of Udny's Fool," a laird being the owner of a large, wealthy estate. But Fleeman was anything but a dimwit. Intelligent and erudite, he is attributed as the last of the "family jesters in Scotland" and is better known than the laird who employed him.

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The jester in popular culture -

Farnos the Red Nose is a beloved character in popular Russian culture. In Russia, jesters were generally selected from among the older and uglier of the serf-servants. The older the fool, the droller they were supposed and expected to be. Farnos was one such individual, though he appeased many with his musical skills and the fact that his preferred method of travel was by wild boar.

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The Shakespearean fool -

The man responsible for popularizing the court jester through literature is William Shakespeare. The Shakespearean fool is a recurring character type in the works of the Bard of Avon and there are, quite literally, dozens of these usually clever peasants and commoners appearing in plays such as 'A Midsummer's Night Dream,' 'As You Like It,' and, famously, 'King Lear.'

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The last laugh -

By the late 18th century, the court jester was practically a figure of the past. In England, the tradition had already died out in the 17th century with the Restoration. In France, the court jester ended with the abolition of the monarchy in the French Revolution.

Sources: (University of Chicago Press) (Britannica) (World Encyclopedia of Puppetry Arts) (Taking On the World) 

See also: The best comedians in history

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