12 Incredibly Unfunny Facts About Court Jesters
You’ve probably got the basic knowledge of court jesters down. They’ve got the hats with the bells. They dance and tell jokes. Most importantly, as many stand-up comedians who think their comedy is smarter than it actually is will tell you, they were the only ones who could speak truth to the king. But their job and their antics went a little farther than you probably would have guessed.
If They Went Too Far, They Were Whipped
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Just because they were allowed to speak freely didn’t mean they could say anything. If they overstepped their bounds, they could expect a whipping.
They Weren’t Beyond Farting for a Laugh
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In case anybody gets too intellectual about the role of the fool, you can remind them that there were also jesters like “Roland the Farter,” whose signature move was leaping around in front of the king while farting.
Sometimes They Were Just Deformed
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As you can imagine, the idea of “punching down” wasn’t yet frowned upon. As such, sometimes “fools” were nothing more than someone with a physical deformity that the king found particularly funny.
They Waved Around Inflated Animal Bladders
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One of a court jester’s accessories was the “bauble,” a fake scepter that was often topped with an inflated animal bladder.
They Were Also Servants
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When jokes weren’t urgently needed, jesters had much less fun, since they were expected to help with regular chores around the house.
On Christmas They Became the ‘Lord of Misrule’
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An old Christmas tradition was the reversal of power, where the masters became the servants and so on. During this time, the jester would act as “The Lord of Misrule,” and could command anyone to do anything.
They Were The Ones Who Got Stuck Giving Bad News to the King
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The fact that the rulers were generally fans of the jesters cut both ways. When there was some particularly bad news that needed to be delivered to the head honcho, it was usually the jester who got stuck having to tell him.
They Were Required to Go to the Battlefield
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In case you thought that jesters got to sit back and crack wise during wartime, au contraire. They were required to accompany their king to the battlefield and serve a variety of mostly unpleasant roles, which we’ll look at over the next few entries.
They Were Forced to Carry Messages to the Enemy
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If the king wanted a message delivered to the higher-ups on the other side, he’d often send it via jester, which means that they were often stuck deep in enemy territory, delivering word the other side didn't want to hear.
Which Sometimes Got Their Head Cut Off and Catapulted Back
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When those aforementioned messages were received especially poorly? That was likely the end of the jester. Though they might carry a message back to the sender — in the form of their decapitated head being hurled back via trebuchet.
They Were Sent to the Frontlines to Piss Off the Enemy
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Talk about a rough crowd: the jester would also sometimes be sent to the frontline to insult, tease and/or provoke the enemy. What did success look like? Enemy soldiers becoming so enraged that they charged the jester, breaking their formation and weakening their defenses. Which is great for the battle, but bad for the jester.
They Could Actually Make A Lot of Money
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This one’s probably only unfunny when you think about how much money you make for a job where you’re not allowed to fart at all. They could have their own horse, servants and be paid handsomely for their sense of humor. One fool was paid 50 shillings for a performance at a marriage feast, which could be almost a year's earnings for a simple worker.
