17th century, England, English, Europe, historical figure, primary source, quotes, Scotland, stories, Stuart
All kinds of stories are told about the background from which various court jesters emerged, and some may even be true. Or we know at least that the jester was for real but we can’t be sure about the recruitment trajectory. This is one of the more original...
19th century, dramatic character, England, English, Europe, historical figure, play, primary source, quotes
A number of historical jesters had plays written about them, including Dongfang Shuo 東方朔 (c. 160 – c. 93 BCE) in China, and Henry VIII’s jester Will Somers. Here we find Charles the First (1824), a dramatic fragment by Shelley, which has Charles I give an...
16th century, bibliography, England, Europe, journal paper, research, Scotland
Archibald (‘Archy’) Armstrong was the brazenly outspoken court jester of both James VI of Scotland / I of England (r. 1567/1603-1625) and his successor, Charles I (r. 1625-49). He enjoyed various privileges, such as the freedom of the city of Aberdeen and...
