Court JestHER

As we all know, the past has not been particularly kind to women, people of color, members of LGBTQ+ community, or individuals with disabilities. We are still seeing constant threats to the progress we’ve made towards equality. I’m sure every woman and minority who approaches this Vocal challenge has considered this.

When deciding on a career from the past, us ladies can either choose to ignore the social conventions of the time and imagine ourselves as whatever we want: Medieval knight, Greek philosopher, Pyramid architect. Alternatively, we might lament the fact that these positions were simply not available to us, choosing to write instead about ourselves in a role traditionally held by women, such as a nurse, schoolteacher or, if we’re feeling especially bold, suffragette.

Recently we’ve learned how recorded history tends to leave out the contributions of women and minorities. You have to dig a little deeper to get the whole story. When I saw the medieval knight on the contest page, I immediately thought of writing about myself as the knight’s creative contemporary, the court jester. That idea led me to Google if there were in-fact any female court jesters in history. It stands to reason that queens might prefer to get their HA-HAs from another lady. My search proved fruitful indeed!

One interesting thing I noted in my research is that the terms ‘Jester’ and ‘Fool’ are somewhat interchangeable. However, there is a distinction between a professional jester who learns skills such as tumbling, juggling, poetry, etc. and a ‘natural fool.’ A natural fool was typically someone with a mental or physical disability. These were very unenlightened times, and these sorts of differences were subject to ridicule. On the other hand, individuals with conditions such as dwarfism were in demand for this kind of work. It was so common that many jesters without mental conditions would fake one as a part of their act. That’s the sort of thing that would get you canceled today (and rightfully so)!

The jester’s ‘madness’ (natural or fabricated) afforded them the ability to take jabs at those in power. There was even a term for it, ‘jester’s privilege.’ The jester’s costume is even designed as a mock version of the symbols of royalty. The classic jester hat with the bells represents a crown and the little marionette they hold represents the royal scepter.

Social commentary and political criticism have always been the comedian’s vital purpose. The same is true of the modern day jester. Here is a quote from John Stewart’s acceptance speech for the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

“Comedy survives every moment. [...] Comedy doesn’t change the world, but it’s a bellwether. We’re the banana peel in the coal mine. When society is under threat, comedians are the ones who get sent away first. [...] What we have is fragile and precious, and the way to guard against it isn’t to change how audiences think, but to change how leaders lead.”

I am not saying that jesters were the voice of reason, the advocate for the people in the monarch’s ear, but I am sure they dropped the occasional truth bomb just to shake things up. It is in a comedian’s nature to push the envelope, see what they can get away with.

Allow me to introduce a few of the most famous female Court Jesters and Fools in Europe from the Medieval through Renaissance period.

• Jane Foole served the queens of the English court during the reign of King Henry VIII. Due to a learning disability, she was considered a ‘natural fool.’
• Mathurine de Vallois served at the French court for King Henry III, King Henry IV, and King Louis XIII in the 17th century. She was quick witted and famous for wearing an Amazon warrior costume. After an assassination attempt, Mathurine apprehended the king’s assailant with her wooden prop sword.
• Nichola aka "La Jardinière" was a French jester to Mary Queen of Scots.
• Maria Barbola was an Austrian born ‘court dwarf’ who entertained Queen Isabel of Spain.

As I reach the end of this essay, I wonder why I picked an era of feudalism and poor sanitation. I could have pictured myself telling jokes in the early 1900’s Vaudeville, or the 1960’s beatnik comedy scene at the experimental ‘Hungry i Club” in New York. I could even have set my sights on the standup comedy boom of the 1980’s and imagined getting my own sitcom.

Damnit!

I suppose I like the Renaissance period from an artistic standpoint. I can’t paint like Da Vinci, but I can juggle (I know, what a dork!), sing, dance, speak in a variety of silly voices, write stupid puns, and generally make a fool of myself. Maybe I would have gotten sepsis from a hang-nail and died young. Maybe I would have said the wrong thing and gotten beheaded for my insolence. Either way, it would have been entertaining.

Sources:

https://www.jesterplanet.com/the-court-jester/who/male-female/

https://www.scribblewits.org/blog/jane-foole-the-court-jester

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jester

https://rabbitholemag.com/to-mock-the-mighty-a-history-of-court-jesters/