Jesters
Jesters
Jesters were very important to the king's court. They entertained the King and told jokes. Jesters were also called fools. There were three different types of jesters. There were the Natural fools, Dwarfs and Artificial fools. Natural fools were physically and mentally handicapped. The family of the fool would often go to the local lord and ask him to take in the handicapped person. This became known as begging him a fool. Sometimes the family would tie the person's limbs so they could deform him so they could beg him a fool. Dwarfs were also used as fools. Some of the dwarfs wore fine clothes that mocked the fashions of the time. Other fools wore brightly colored outfits. Some Princes thought a complement to their fool as a complement to themselves. Artificial fools were the third class. They were smart and sarcastic. They became jesters because it gave them the freedom to say things about their master/lord that they couldn't say otherwise. The artificial fool is the type of fool we think of today. Fools were treated differently depending on who their masters were. Some were treated extremely well, while others were treated like horses and dogs. Jesters were only put to death if they committed a crime. They were not beheaded on the chopping block if they displeased their master. Sometimes if they displeased their master they were beaten. Often they were beaten to death. The last woman fool was Kathrin Lise in 1722. Eventually keeping a fool went out of fashion in the seventeenth century.