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Jesters
A jester, also known as joker, court jester, or fool, was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch kept to entertain guests at the royal court. Jesters were also travelling performers who entertained common folk at fairs and town markets, and the discipline continues into the modern day, where jesters perform at historical-themed events. Jester-like figures were common throughout the world, including Ancient Rome, China, Persia, and the Aztec empire. During the post-classical and Renaissance eras, jesters are often thought to have worn brightly coloured clothes and eccentric hats in a motley pattern. Jesters entertained with a wide variety of skills: principal among them were song, music, and storytelling, but many also employed acrobatics, juggling, telling jokes (such as puns and imitation), and performing magic tricks. Much of the entertainment was performed in a comic style. Many jesters made contemporary jokes in word or song about people or events well know ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cap And Bells
The cap and bells is a type of fool's cap with bells worn by a court fool or jester. The bells were also added to the dangling sleeves and announced the appearance of the jester. Forms The cap and bells could be in the following forms:Lucy Barton, ''Historic Costumes for the Stage''p. 221/ref> *Ass' ears and an ass' tail, often curling forwardp. 113/ref> * Horns * Cockscomb crest *Royal court jester costume *Bi-color coxcomb cap *Fool's cap and masque Other forms of fool's cap in England were shaped like a monk's cowl with ass's ears, a high-pointed cap covered with bells, or a round cap with an imposing feather. Gallery Fool's Cap Map of the World.jpg, Fool's Cap Map of the World Narr haustuer.jpg, A jester with a cap and bells and a fool's scepter Narrenkappe der Faschingsgilde Villach, Kärnten, Österreich.jpg, Fool's cap of the Carnival () Guild in Villach, Carinthia, Austria Faschingskappe mit Anzug und reich dekorierten Orden, Villacher Fasching 2019 Kärnten Österr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Will Sommers
William Sommers (or Somers or Somer; died 15 June 1560) was the best-known Jester, court jester (believed to be a ‘natural fool’) of Henry VIII of England. Early life He was said to have been born in Shropshire, and came to the attention of Richard Fermor, a merchant of the Staple at Calais, who brought him to Greenwich in 1525 to present to the King. This comes from an 18th-century account; little is known for certain of his early life. He is first mentioned in the royal accounts on 28 June 1535. Career Sommers remained in service to the King for the rest of Henry's life. In the King's later years, when he was troubled by a painful leg condition, it was said that only Sommers could lift his spirits. The jester or fool was also a man of integrity and discretion. Thomas Cromwell appreciated that Sommers sometimes drew the King's attention to extravagance and waste within the royal household by means of a joke. Natural fools (sometimes referred to as jesters, but a jester i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Motley
Motley is the traditional costume of the court jester, the motley fool, or the arlecchino character in ''commedia dell'arte''. The harlequin wears a patchwork of red, green and blue diamonds that is still a fashion motif. The word ''motley'' is described in the Oxford English Dictionary as a cognate of ''medley'', although the unrelated ''mottled'' has also contributed to the meaning. The word is most commonly used as an adjective or noun, but is also seen as a verb and adverb. When used as a noun, it can mean "a varied mixture". As an adjective, it is generally disparaging: a ''motley collection'' is an uninspiring pile of stuff, as in the cliché motley crew. The word originated in England between the 14th and 17th centuries and referred to a woollen fabric of mixed colours.Apparel Search GlossarRetrieved on: 15 Jan 2020 It was the characteristic dress of the professional fool. During the reign of Elizabeth I of England, Elizabeth I, motley served the important purpose of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minstrel
A minstrel was an entertainer, initially in medieval Europe. The term originally described any type of entertainer such as a musician, juggler, acrobat, singer or fool; later, from the sixteenth century, it came to mean a specialist entertainer who sang songs and played musical instruments. Description Minstrels performed songs which told stories of distant places or of existing or imaginary historical events. Although minstrels created their own tales, often they would memorize and embellish the works of others. Frequently they were retained by royalty and high society. As the courts became more sophisticated, minstrels were eventually replaced at court by the troubadours, and many became wandering minstrels, performing in the streets; a decline in their popularity began in the late 15th century. Minstrels fed into later traditions of travelling entertainers, which continued to be moderately strong into the early 20th century, and which has some continuity in the form of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jane Foole
Jane Foole, also known as Jane The Foole, Jane, The Queen's Fool, "Jeanne le Fol" or "Jane Hir Fole" (fl. 1537–1558), was an English court fool (distinct from a jester). She was the fool of queens Catherine Parr and Mary I, and possibly also of Anne Boleyn. Today, entertainers sometimes perform as "Jane" in Renaissance-themed entertainments such as Renaissance faires. Life Personal life Jane's full name, birth year, and background are unknown. ''Beden the Fool'' also appears in related notes of the time, and it has been suggested that Beden was her surname. Jane is believed to have had a learning disability. Career In the accounts of Anne Boleyn, bills for caps supplied to her "female jester" are recorded in 1535–36. The name of this female jester is not mentioned, but may have been Jane. In 1537, she is noted to be in service of Princess Mary. As well as Jane, Mary also employed Lucretia the Tumbler. Mary's account book records that shoes were bought for Jane and L ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Post-classical History
In Human history, world history, post-classical history refers to the period from about 500 CE to 1500 CE, roughly corresponding to the European Middle Ages. The period is characterized by the expansion of civilizations geographically and the development of trade networks between civilizations.The Post‐Classical Era by Joel Hermansen This period is also called the medieval era, post-antiquity era, post-ancient era, pre-modernity era, or pre-modern era. In Asia, the spread of Islam created a series of caliphates and inaugurated the Islamic Golden Age, leading to advances in science in the medieval Islamic world and trade among the Asian, African, and European continents. East Asia experienced the full establishment of the power of History of China#Imp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mary, Queen Of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scotland, Mary was six days old when her father died and she inherited the throne. During her childhood, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland was governed by regents, first by the heir to the throne, James Hamilton, Earl of Arran, and then by her mother, Mary of Guise. In 1548, she was betrothed to Francis II of France, Francis, the Dauphin of France, and was sent to be brought up in Kingdom of France, France, where she would be safe from invading Kingdom of England, English forces during the Rough Wooing. Mary Wedding of Mary, Queen of Scots, and Francis, Dauphin of France, married Francis in 1558, becoming queen consort of France from his accession in 1559 until his death in December 1560. Widowed, Mary Entry of Mary, Q ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Armin
Robert Armin (c. 1568 – 1615) was an English actor, and member of the Lord Chamberlain's Men. He became the leading comedy actor with the troupe associated with William Shakespeare following the departure of Will Kempe around 1600. Also a popular comic author, he wrote a comedy, ''The History of the Two Maids of More-clacke'', as well as ''Foole upon Foole'', ''A Nest of Ninnies'' (1608) and ''The Italian Taylor and his Boy''. Armin changed the part of the clown or fool from the rustic servingman turned comedian to that of a high-comedy domestic wit. Early life :"…the clown is wise because he plays the fool for money, while others have to pay for the same privilege." – Leslie Hotson in ''Shakespeare's Motley'' Armin was one of three children born to John Armyn II of King's Lynn, a tailor and friend to John Lonyson, a goldsmith also of King's Lynn. His brother, John Armyn III, was a merchant tailor in London. Armin did not take up his father's craft; instead, his fath ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Twelfth Night
''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shipwreck. Viola (disguised as a page named 'Cesario') falls in love with the Duke Orsino, who in turn is in love with Countess Olivia. Upon meeting Viola, Countess Olivia falls in love with her, thinking she is a man. The play expanded on the musical interludes and riotous disorder expected of the occasion, with plot elements drawn from Barnabe Rich's short story "Of Apollonius and Silla", based on a story by Matteo Bandello. The first documented public performance was on 2 February 1602, at Candlemas, the formal end of Christmastide in the year's calendar. The play was not published until its inclusion in the 1623 First Folio. Characters * Viola – a shipwrecked young woman who disguises hersel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Feste
Feste is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's comedy ''Twelfth Night''. He is a fool (royal jester) attached to the household of the Countess Olivia. He has apparently been there for some time, as he was a "fool that the Lady Olivia's father took much delight in" (2.4). Although Olivia's father has died within the last year, it is possible that Feste approaches or has reached middle age, though he still has the wit to carry off good 'fooling' when he needs to, and the voice to sing lustily or mournfully as the occasion demands. He is referred to by name only once during the play, in answer to an inquiry by Orsino of who sang a song that he heard the previous evening. Curio responds "Feste, the jester, my lord; a fool that the lady Olivia's father took much delight in. He is about the house" (2.4). Throughout the rest of the play, he is addressed only as "Fool," while in the stage directions he is mentioned as "Clown." Feste seems to leave Olivia's house and return at ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James VI Of Scotland
James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until his death in 1625. Although he long tried to get both countries to adopt a closer political union, the kingdoms of Scotland and England remained sovereign states, with their own parliaments, judiciaries, and laws, ruled by James in personal union. James was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, and a great-great-grandson of Henry VII, King of England and Lord of Ireland, and thus a potential successor to all three thrones. He acceded to the Scottish throne at the age of thirteen months, after his mother was forced to abdicate in his favour. Although his mother was a Catholic, James was brought up as a Protestant. Four regents governed during his minority, which ended officially in 1578, though he did not gain full control of his government ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nichola (fool)
Nichola or Nicolle (fl. 1560–1570) was a fool or jester to Mary, Queen of Scots. Jester of Mary Nichola was a French "fool" or servant entertainer of Mary, Queen of Scots. She seems to have arrived in Scotland with Mary in 1561. After Mary's abdication she remained at the Scottish court of Mary's half-brother Regent Moray. She was also known as " La Jardinière", the gardener or flower-vase. One of her keepers was a French courtier called Jacqueline Cristoflat. Other fools at court included Conny, Jane Colquhoun, Janet Musche, Foysir (a man), George Stevin, and James Geddie. Nothing is known of Nichola's court role or her performances, except the costumes that were given to her, recorded in the accounts of the royal wardrobe. The historian John Guy imagines that the queen "loved to banter" with Nichola "to indulge her wicked sense of humour." A costume for a fool was delivered to "Johnne Dusow, Frenchman", the fool's keeper in November 1561, consisting of 10 ells of grey c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
