posted 11-24-2004 04:45 AM         

I have 3 more books to write after this one, I cna't see my migraines getting any less ...

posted 11-24-2004 10:18 AM            

Henry VIII of England had a fool/jester named Will Somers.

In the Islamic world, there are tales of Mulla Nasrudin, the legendary 14th century mystic jester of Tamerlane.

According to Shakespear, Elizabeth I of England and James VI of Scotland had jesters. In 1605, one of Shakespear's performers (the Lord Chamberlin's Men) named Robert Armin wrote a book called, "Foole upon Foole".

King James I of England had a jester called,
Archibald Armstrong, who let many honours go to his head and eventually over-reached himself by insulting too many influencial people.

By the time of the English Civil War, Charles I of England employed Jeffrey Hudson as a jester - Jeffery fought as a soldier on Charles' side during the war. Oliver Cromwell's reformist Christianity didn't approve of such frivolity as jesters so most left England to entertain in Ireland instead.

For more detailed information, I suggest you try to find the following book: "The Fool : His Social and Literary History" ISBN 1299142745 by Enid Welsford. Unfortunately the book is out of print, but you might find it in a library or second-hand store.

Levan

posted 11-24-2004 10:39 AM            

Will Somers features in the English school History curriculum for Key Stage 2, so you should be able to find a reasonable amout of information about him:
http://www.headlinehistory.co.uk/online/East%20Midlands/Tudor/Culture%20&%20Entertainment/story821.htm

Will Somers - a picture:
http://tudorhistory.org/people/somers/

A novel: "The Autobiography of Henry VIII with some notes by his fool, Will Somers" by Margaret George. Very well reviewed on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0312194390/104-5773882-0507945?v=glance

A good link for Archibald Armstrong:
http://67.1911encyclopedia.org/A/AR/ARMSTRONG_ARCHIBALD.htm

Levan

posted 11-25-2004 04:09 AM         

I've ordered the book on Fools, Social History, etc. It would appear most fools were dwarfs, or deformed in some way (which people thought amusing at that time) but Richard III's fool was not either of those, instead he was a much trusted aide. I think the others were, too.

posted 11-25-2004 03:48 PM            

It's probably better practice to mail the link - that way they get the most up-to-date information, and will also be in a position to join in the discussion.

posted 11-27-2004 05:48 AM         

the book search firm turned up the book on Fools by Enid Walsford, but it was sixty eight pounds, so I had to decline ... way too much for me to spend, unfortunately.

posted 11-27-2004 02:00 PM            

http://www.jester.net/CourtJs.htm

posted 11-29-2004 02:31 PM            

Customer review of the book:

The fool, though constrained, continually threatens to break free in pushing to its limits whatever freedom he is given."

John Southworth's earlier work, The English Medieval Minstrel, remains one of the best books on medieval entertainers. In Fools and Jesters, however, he has surpassed himself, producing a seminal work which will become a classic on an equal footing with Enid Welsford's landmark The Fool: His Social and Literary History (first published in 1935). And in his particular focus, the historical English court jester, he provides the most comprehensive overview yet, superceding Welsford and all other writers to date.

Southworth has brought to light sources which have not been delved into before, and he has helped tidy up the mess of the jester's provenance, superbly defining the chaotic nomenclature of medieval court entertainers. He begins by touching on the universal aspect of the jester, then looking at aspects of fools (dwarves, warriors, musicians and naturals) before homing in on the real target of his study - the heyday of historical court jesters in England. This leads to some excellent biographical chapters (arranged more or less chronologically) devoted to the principal named jesters, placing them in the context of their time and considering their contemporary fools.

One of the best chapters deals with the open-ended debate about the European jester's costume, with Southworth soundly knocking a few nails in the coffin of the notion that real jesters cavorted in cap and bells as a matter of course. He teases out threads from a wide-ranging array of materials to write perhaps the clearest and most reliable overview of the arguments and counter-arguments. I have increasingly leaned towards believing that jesters rarely, if ever, wore the archetypal cap and bells in real life, and Southworth has succeeded in edging me further in that direction.

Fools and Jesters contains a wealth of detail and footnotes to engage `jesterologists', and for those making a study of English (or European) court entertainment, or looking at Shakespearean or other dramatic fools, it is essential reading.

That said, it also boasts the uncommon virtue in highly scholarly works of being wholly accessible and appealing to a general reader - the book is beautifully designed and produced, sumptuously illustrated and would serve as a superb starting point for anyone venturing into fools' territory, for fun or enlightenment.

I'd name this as one of the four key works on jesters yet written, which perfectly complements the other three.