History Revealed

ACTING THE FOOL

HIDDEN LIVES COURT JESTERS

When we imagine a medieval or Tudor feast, one of the first images that springs to mind may be of a jester: the wise fool running among the guests telling bawdy jokes or juggling while the minstrels strum their lutes. They may be pictured wearing colourful costumes, eccentric pointy hats and covered in jangling bells. But this is only a glimpse, and a highly romanticised one at that, of the true role and life of the jester at court.

During the 11th and 12th centuries, the title ‘minstrel’, meaning ‘little servant’, was the name given to a wide range of entertainers, from singers and musicians to jugglers, tumblers and magicians, as well as the jesters and joculators. Both men and women worked as minstrels, and if successful in finding a grateful employer they could enjoy a degree of financial success. There is a record from 1086 of a joculatrix named Adeline who owned land in Hampshire.

The title of ‘follus’, or ‘fool’, began to be

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from History Revealed

History Revealed6 min read
Weird And Wonderful
Mary Toft, a young woman from Godalming, Surrey, caused a sensation in 1726 when she convinced a number of doctors that, after seeing a large rabbit while pregnant, she had given birth to parts of the long eared mummals. John Howard, a local surgeon
History Revealed4 min read
Food And Drink
Henry VIII had an insatiable appetite for novelty, opulence and displays of generosity – so no wonder a colossal golden fountain that spouted wine instead of water appealed to him. The renowned artwork depicting Henry’s encounter with French King Fra
History Revealed1 min read
Did You Know?
In 1858, more than 200 unfortunate people were poisoned by sweets laced with arsenic. This horrific set of events inspired the introduction of legislation to clamp down on the adulteration of food in the UK. In the seas off New England in the 19th ce

Related Books & Audiobooks