Jester

Lore & Background

Jester-like figures were common throughout the world, including ancient Rome, China, Persia, India, and the Aztec Empire. In ancient Rome, a professional jester or buffoon was called a balatro. The modern English word 'jester' did not come into use until the mid-16th century during Tudor times, deriving from the older French form 'gestour', meaning 'storyteller' or 'minstrel'. Earlier terms included fol, disour, buffoon, and bourder.

In Their Own Story

In ancient Rome, balatrones were paid for their jests and welcomed at wealthy tables. Henry VIII employed a jester named Will Sommers, while his daughter Mary I was entertained by Jane Foole. During the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I, Robert Armin served as an expert on jesting for Shakespeare's company. In Scotland, Mary, Queen of Scots had a jester called Nichola, and King James VI employed Archibald Armstrong until he was dismissed for insulting influential people. Charles I later employed Jeffrey Hudson, known as the 'Royal Dwarf', who famously leaped out of a giant pie.

Reader's Guide

Jesters entertained with song, music, storytelling, acrobatics, juggling, jokes (including puns and imitation), and magic tricks, often in a comic style. They made contemporary jokes about people or events known to their audiences. Jesters held 'jester's privilege', the right to talk and mock freely without punishment, marked by symbols like the cap and bells (crown) and marotte (sceptre). They could deliver bad news no one else would dare speak; for example, Philip VI of France's jester mocked English sailors after the Battle of Sluys. After the Restoration, Charles II did not reinstate court jesters, though Samuel Pepys noted Thomas Killigrew held a fee under the title 'King's Foole'. The tradition largely died out by the 18th century except in Russia, Spain, and Germany, ending in France with the monarchy's abolition.

Did You Know?

• The modern term 'jester' only came into use in the mid-16th century; before that, entertainers were called fol, disour, buffoon, or bourder.
• In ancient Rome, a professional jester was known as a balatro, and one theory suggests the name comes from blatea, meaning they were dirty fellows covered in mud spots.
• Jeffrey Hudson, a jester for Charles I, held the title 'Royal Dwarf' and famously leaped out of a giant pie to entertain the court.
• Jesters sometimes served as psychological warfare, riding in front of troops to provoke or mock the enemy while raising their own army's spirits with songs and stories.
• The town of Conwy in North Wales appointed Russel Erwood as its official resident jester in 2015, a post that had been vacant since 1295.