okieteacher: “If you’re going to tell them the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they’ll kill you.” – Wilde
cobainbc15: > After the Restoration, Charles II did not reinstate the tradition of the court jester…
Damn you Charles II! We had something nice going here 🙁
DaHamsterMan: Triboulet, the witty jester:
>Having broken an order from Francis I forbidding Triboulet from making jokes on the queen and courtesans, the king ordered that he should be put to death. Having served particularly well the king for many years, Francis I granted Triboulet the right to choose the way he would die. Triboulet, with his sharp mind, said the following: “Bon sire, par sainte Nitouche et saint Pansard, patrons de la folie, je demande à mourir de vieillesse.” which translates to: “Sir, for Saint Nitouche’s and Saint Pansard’s sake, patrons of insanity, I choose to die from old age.” Having no other choice than to laugh, the king ordered that Triboulet must not be executed, but rather instead be banished from the realm.
zomboromcom: *Brave Sir Robin ran away. Bravely ran away away. When danger reared its ugly head he bravely turned his tail and fled…*
TooShiftyForYou: Jester: “Your highness, I regret to inform you that our soldiers were soundly defeated on the battlefield.”
King: “Impossible! Is this some kind of joke?”
Jester: “Why indeed it is!” *does a merry dance and flees the town forever*
redcapmilk: Killing the mesanger has been a problem almost since my first job. Sometimes someone has to explain to the boss, that if you explode when anything happens, no one will tell you anything. Now you are no longer managing anything.
itsybitsybabyjesus: The role of the Fool in history is actually incredibly interesting. Beyond being a fool, the jester’s purpose was to keep the court and ruler from becoming too stuffy. Even kings shit. It was a way to keep the court grounded. Remind them of their humanity.
Imagine if a homeless person was required to be present at each whitehouse meeting.
If anyone is interested further [Alan Watts does a much better job at illustrating the role than I could.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znwFV-1bOcw)
Aezati: I like to imagine the jester doing a Seinfeld style stand up bit. “What’s the deal with these Englishmen and their boats…”
Friscogonewild: [This guy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi-YLIwkfJs) did a pretty good job, too.
Jack_Hammond: For those interested, the naval battle was the battle of Sluys at the very start of the Hundred Year’s War. Edward III of England’s invasion fleet attacked the French and annihilated it by outmaneuvering their opponents and using superior bows (the famous Longbow). The Longbow was so powerful that their arrows could penetrate the upper works of some warships.
dublinmarley: If I got elected president I would totally have a jester or two hanging around just for kicks.
definitely_not_cylon: You have to break the bad news in a good way! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi-YLIwkfJs
The_Late_Arthur_Dent: [An important part was also played by messengers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94o-D2_k5ew&t=2m9s)
floerae: I’d love to hear the reactions that kings gave to hearing bad news from jesters. Did the delivery really make that much of a difference?
sacm54: This really reminds me of [this](http://wp.production.patheos.com/blogs/cosmostheinlost/files/2015/03/Matejko_Stańczyk.jpg) painting by Jan Matejko.
WhatYallGonnaDO: … Make a roll for charisma
hdk029: Sounds like Wit is inspired from this.
myhihi1: Nice to know dark comedy is timeless.
MaNiFeX: TIL Reddit is my jester.
DontOpenTilXmas: And then he was promptly guillotined.
Xilkozuf: Probably jester.
Inno this.
Anakin-Sandhater: ‘Maybe if you tell me the bad news in a good way it won’t seem so bad’
trai_dep: “French ships are far better at playing Catch The Iron Ball than those uncoordinated English ones. Why, they don’t even bother chasing them down!”
“And never invite an English boarding party on your Man o’ War. They’ll *never* get the hint that it’s time to leave!”
xlinkedx: Surely he jests…
tuskvarner: Under the sea, they tell bad news. I know I know, oh oh.