16th century, 17th century, historical figure, Persia, Persian, primary source, quotes, stories
Kachal Muṣṭafā was a jester to the Persian Safavid king, Shāh ʿAbbās I (r. 1588-1629). Typically for a jester, he was given broad access to the court, although with the notable exception of the Shah’s harem. On one occasion, no doubt presuming on his usual...
11th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, Song dynasty, stories
Chinese jesters didn’t hesitate to mock the great names of Chinese thinking and religion, including Confucius. And just as jesters everywhere could be upbraided for such irreverence, here we see an official presenting a memo to the emperor to complain of the...
16th century, correspondence, Europe, historical figure, Italian, Italy, primary source, quotes, stories
Antonio da Trento, known as Nanino (Little Dwarf), belonged to the court of the Marquis of Mantua. There is a letter written in dialect in 1495 from Nanino to the Marquis, Francesco II Gonzaga (1466-1519). In a letter dated 24 July 1512, from the Marquis to the...
12th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, Song dynasty, stories
They do dare, it’s one of their quiddities. Even when it’s a serving or former Prime Minister or similar. Again, a jester criticizes a powerful minister, in this case drawing attention to the suffering his oligarchic-scale building plans caused ordinary...
9th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, stories, Tang dynasty
At a banquet given during the Taihe reign period (827-35) of Emperor Tang Wenzong 唐文宗 (r. 827-40), a jester mocked Confucius in a variety show performance. The emperor was angered by his irreverence, saying that Confucius had been a teacher from ancient times to the...
16th century, correspondence, England, Europe, French, historical figure, primary source, quotes, stories
Occasionally a jester hit a raw nerve in their mockery and would then go into hiding until the royal wrath cooled. In this case, Sexton, a jester of Henry VIII (r. 1509-47) is said to have mocked both Anne Boleyn and her daughter. In July 1535, Eustace Chapuys (c....
9th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, stories, Tang dynasty
An example of Chinese jesters being silenced for offering to present a skit mocking a minister, in this case their punishment being more than a simple cancel-culture denial of performance, as they were beaten and banished. Noteworthy is the fact that they were so...
13th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, Song dynasty, stories
During the Baoqing reign period (1225-55) of Emperor Song Lizong 宋理宗 (r. 1224-64), Prime Minister Shi Miyuan 史彌遠 (1164-1233) gave a banquet at his residence at which variety skits were performed. Such skits were a regular vehicle for jesters to draw attention to...
