Jester facts for kids
A jester was a special entertainer who lived a long time ago, mostly during the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods. They were often part of a rich nobleman's or monarch's (like a king or queen) household. Their main job was to make the ruler and their guests laugh and have fun! Jesters also traveled around, entertaining regular people at fairs and markets. Even today, some performers dress and act like old-time jesters.
Jesters from medieval times are often shown wearing super bright, colorful clothes and funny, pointy hats with bells. Modern jesters usually copy this fun look. Jesters were very talented! They could sing, play music, and tell amazing stories. Many also did cool acrobatics, juggling, told funny jokes, and even performed magic tricks. Most of their acts were funny, and they often made jokes about people or events that everyone in their audience knew about.
Who Were Jesters and What Did They Do?
Jesters have been around for a very long time! Even in Ancient Egypt, there were entertainers who made the pharaohs laugh. The ancient Romans had their own professional jesters called balatros. These balatros were paid for their jokes and often invited to parties held by wealthy people because they were so entertaining. Jesters were also popular with the Aztec people in the 14th to 16th centuries.
Many royal courts in English history had entertainers. Most of these courts had special "fools" who were paid to be funny. They would perform music, tell stories, and do physical comedy. Some historians also think they did acrobatics and juggling.
Jesters Through the Ages
By the 1700s, jesters were not as common in most places, except for Russia, Spain, and Germany. In France and Italy, groups of traveling jesters put on plays. This type of theater was called the commedia dell'arte. A version of these shows became popular in Britain as a puppet show called Punch and Judy. In France, the tradition of having a court jester ended after the French Revolution.
Today, you can still see jesters in different ways! They appear in medieval reenactment events and other entertainment. You might see them in movies, on a stage, or at a carnival. They remind us of the funny and clever entertainers from long ago.
Images for kids
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John Dawson Watson - Friends in Council
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"Family of Henry VIII with Will Sommers on the far right and probably Jane Foole on the far left
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Queen Henrietta Maria with Sir Jeffrey Hudson by Van Dyck
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A court jester, carrying a marotte, selected for the Pageant of Empire in 1909
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Portrait of the Ferrara Court Jester Gonella by Jean Fouquet 1445
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Laughing jester, unknown Early Netherlandish artist (possibly Jacob Cornelisz van Oostsanen), circa 1500
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Stańczyk, by Jan Matejko. The Polish jester is the only person at a 1514 royal ball troubled by the news that the Russians have captured Smolensk.
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Jester in Weingarten, Germany, in 2015
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Masquerade by Golovin - Jester with hunch (1917, Bakhrushin museum)
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Portrait of the Jester Balakirev (1699-1763)
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The Court Jester of Tabbyland
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Шут. Фрагмент миниатюры "Gaharié recevant le chapel" из "Романа о Ланселоте" (Français 112 (1), fol. 45), ок. 1470
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Jester-doll made by Olina Ventsel (1938-2007)
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Man dressed as a jester, with a fool's cap, motley and white tights.
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Statue of a jester depicted in the book Letters from England by Karel Čapek
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Oil on panel, signed with monogram, bears inscribed label for the Dundee Fine Art Exhibition, 1877, attached opt the reverse, 23.7x15.5 cm.
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Private collection, oil on canvas. Jacob Jordaens (1641-1645).
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Jester Resting on a chair by William Merritt Chase, 1875, the work is one of several trial poses William Merritt Chase painted as preparation for his Keying Up- The Court Jester
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P. B. Abery (1877?-1948) & Wallace Jones
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The Court Jester by John Watson Nicol, 1895, oil on canvas, 41 x 57 cm. (16.1 x 22.4 in.)
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Rahere, Bouffon de Henry I et de la Reine Matilda, début 1100.
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Chase William Merrit
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Caricature of a court jester of Philip the Good, duke of Burgundy, in the 16th century Recueil d'Arras, a collection of portraits copied by Jacques de Boucq
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William Burges, English architect
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Self Portrait in a Jester's Costume
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The Jester Barbarossa by Francisco Goya
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Royal Jester Stańczyk
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Jester Knight Christoph by Hans Wertinger (1515, Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid)
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Akram Mutlak Ménage À Trois Öl auf Leinwand
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Bouffon
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See also
In Spanish: Bufón para niños
