If the clowns of Tübatulabal nation thought a Chief was leading poorly,they could influence the elders to elect a new one.

Influence Decisions 

In 1592, a French man was condemned to death. But Mathurine , a female jester intervened in return for payment. With her help ,the man's wife successfully pleaded with the King to save her husband's life.

Mathurine

Although Rare, jesters were sometimes fired or even killed for taking the Mockery too far.For example,<ul><li>the banishing of Archy Armstrong from the court for criticising the Archbishop of Canterbury.</li></ul>

Archy Armstrong 

Even when rulers were considered divinely appointed, jesters were able to speak truth directly to power and reveal who the real fool was.

Power Of Jesters

People became jesters do to various reasons:<ul><li>due to physical or neurological differences</li><li>plucked from a pool of entertainers</li><li>recruited by a travelling carrier</li></ul>

Becoming One

A local magistrate once requested the Chinese Emperor to stop trambling the farmlands when he went on a hunting spree.Infuriated, the Emperor had the magistrate hauled before him.Jing, the jester suggested that the magistrate be put immediately to death and let the peasants starve instead of harvesting and paying taxes , so the Emperor could gallop about freely.Presumably, the Emperor realised his own absurdity and pardoned the magistrate.

Jing Xinmo

Roland ,The Farter was the jester of Henry II's 12 th century court.Every Christmas, he performed a special routine , for which the finale was a simultaneous jump,whistle and fart.

Roland, The Farter

When 19 th century Persian King Shah asked whether there was a food shortage , the jester Karim Shir'ei joked,"Yes, I see Your Majesty eating only five times a day".

Karim Shir'er

Contrary to popular belief jesters weren't a European phenomenon, they flourished in many times and cultures.

Not Just A European Phenomenon 

A Royal Servant wrote to King Henry VIII's Chief minister recommending a young boy to replace Sexton, the King's aging Jester with an assurance that he would be more pleasant than Sexton.

A Recommendation 

They could be viewed as:<ul><li>Objects of Mockery</li><li>Entertainers</li><li>Trusted Companions</li></ul>

Relationship To Power

Explore the history of court jesters, from 7th century China to medieval Europe, and how they were able to speak truth to power.

--

Contrary to common belief, jesters weren’t just a medieval European phenomenon but flourished in other times and cultures. The first reliably recorded jester is thought to be You Shi, of 7th century BCE China. Jesters had unique relationships to power: they could be viewed as objects of mockery or as entertainers and trusted companions. Beatrice K. Otto digs into history's most infamous jokers.

Lesson by Beatrice K. Otto, directed by Yael Reisfeld.

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View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-was-life-like-for-a-court-jester-beatrice-k-otto
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Animator's website: https://www.yaelreisfeld.com & https://www.instagram.com/yaelreisfeld
Educator's website: https://www.foolsareeverywhere.com & https://www.instagram.com/foolsareeverywhereworld
Music: https://www.janwillemdewith.com & https://www.instagram.com/janwillemdewith
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Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Doug Henry, Keven Webb, Mihai Sandu, Deepak Iyer, Javid Gozalov, Kyanta Yap, Rebecca Reineke, William Biersdorf, Patricia Alves Panagides, Yvette Mocete, Cyrus Garay, Samuel Barbas, LadyGeek, Marin Kovachev, Penelope Misquitta, Hans Peng, Gaurav Mathur, Erik Biemans, Tony, Michelle, Katie and Josh Pedretti, Hoai Nam Tran, Kack-Kyun Kim, Michael Braun-Boghos, zjweele13, Anna-Pitschna Kunz, Edla Paniguel, Thomas Mungavan, Jaron Blackburn, Venkat Venkatakrishnan, ReuniteKorea, Aaron Henson, Rohan Gupta, Begum Tutuncu, Brian Richards, Jørgen Østerpart, Tyron Jung, Carsten Tobehn, Katie Dean, Ezgi Yersu, Gerald Onyango, alessandra tasso, Doreen Reynolds-Consolati, Manognya Chakrapani, Ayala Ron, Eunsun Kim, Phyllis Dubrow, Ophelia Gibson Best, Paul Schneider, Joichiro Yamada, Henrique Cassús and Karthik Cherala.

Understand yourself and those around you.

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History

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Learning & Education

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Explore the history of court jesters, from 7th century China to medieval Europe, and how they were able to speak truth to power.

--

Contrary to common belief, jesters weren’t just a medieval European phenomenon but flourished in other times and cultures. The first reliably recorded jester is thought to be You Shi, of 7th century BCE China. Jesters had unique relationships to power: they could be viewed as objects of mockery or as entertainers and trusted companions. Beatrice K. Otto digs into history's most infamous jokers.

Lesson by Beatrice K. Otto, directed by Yael Reisfeld.

Support Our Non-Profit Mission
----------------------------------------------
Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreon
Check out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop
----------------------------------------------

Connect With Us
----------------------------------------------
Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletter
Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebook
Find us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitter
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Keep Learning
----------------------------------------------
View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-was-life-like-for-a-court-jester-beatrice-k-otto
Dig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-was-life-like-for-a-court-jester-beatrice-k-otto#digdeeper

Animator's website: https://www.yaelreisfeld.com & https://www.instagram.com/yaelreisfeld
Educator's website: https://www.foolsareeverywhere.com & https://www.instagram.com/foolsareeverywhereworld
Music: https://www.janwillemdewith.com & https://www.instagram.com/janwillemdewith
----------------------------------------------

Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Doug Henry, Keven Webb, Mihai Sandu, Deepak Iyer, Javid Gozalov, Kyanta Yap, Rebecca Reineke, William Biersdorf, Patricia Alves Panagides, Yvette Mocete, Cyrus Garay, Samuel Barbas, LadyGeek, Marin Kovachev, Penelope Misquitta, Hans Peng, Gaurav Mathur, Erik Biemans, Tony, Michelle, Katie and Josh Pedretti, Hoai Nam Tran, Kack-Kyun Kim, Michael Braun-Boghos, zjweele13, Anna-Pitschna Kunz, Edla Paniguel, Thomas Mungavan, Jaron Blackburn, Venkat Venkatakrishnan, ReuniteKorea, Aaron Henson, Rohan Gupta, Begum Tutuncu, Brian Richards, Jørgen Østerpart, Tyron Jung, Carsten Tobehn, Katie Dean, Ezgi Yersu, Gerald Onyango, alessandra tasso, Doreen Reynolds-Consolati, Manognya Chakrapani, Ayala Ron, Eunsun Kim, Phyllis Dubrow, Ophelia Gibson Best, Paul Schneider, Joichiro Yamada, Henrique Cassús and Karthik Cherala.

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