Editing Jester (section)

==Political significance==
Jesters could give bad news to the King that no one else would dare deliver. In 1340, when the French fleet was destroyed at the [[Battle of Sluys]] by the English, [[Phillippe VI]]'s jester told him the English sailors "don't even have the guts to jump into the water like our brave French".<ref name=":0" />

===End of tradition===
After the [[Stuart Restoration|Restoration]], [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] did not reinstate the tradition of the court jester, but he did greatly patronise the theatre and proto-[[music hall]] entertainments, especially favouring the work of [[Thomas Killigrew]]. Though Killigrew was not officially a jester, [[Samuel Pepys]] in his famous diary does call Killigrew "The King's fool and jester, with the power to mock and revile even the most prominent without penalty" (12 February 1668).

In the 18th century, jesters had died out except in [[Russia]], [[Spain]], and [[Germany]]. In [[France]] and [[Italy]], travelling groups of jesters performed plays featuring stylised characters in a form of theatre called the ''[[commedia dell'arte]]''. A version of this passed into [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Folklore|folk tradition]] in the form of a [[puppet]] show, ''[[Punch and Judy]]''. In France the tradition of the court jester ended with the abolition of the monarchy in the [[French Revolution]].

In 2015, the town of [[Conwy]] in [[North Wales]] appointed Russel Erwood (aka Erwyd le Fol) as the official resident jester of the town and its people, a post that had been vacant since 1295.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/welsh-town-appoints-official-jester-700-years-article-1.2316415|title=Welsh town appoints first official jester in 700 years|newspaper=NY Daily News|access-date=2016-10-14|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011214815/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/welsh-town-appoints-official-jester-700-years-article-1.2316415|archive-date=2018-10-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/russel-erwood-town-jester-conwy-9814519|title=This official town jester can balance a flaming barbecue on his head..!|last=Day|first=Liz|date=2015-08-08|newspaper=walesonline|access-date=2016-10-14}}</ref>

===Other countries===

[[File:Schuttersfeest, Meester van Frankfurt, (1493), Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen, 529.jpg|thumb|180px|''Festival of the Archers''. [[Master of Frankfurt]],  1493. Two jesters are depicted in the centre of the picture.]]

[[Poland]]'s most famous court jester was [[Stańczyk]] (''c''. 1480–1560), whose jokes were usually related to political matters, and who later became a historical symbol for Poles.<ref name="Kochanowski">{{Cite book | location=Lublin | isbn = 978-83-222-0473-3 | author1 = Janusz Pelc| author2 = Paulina Buchwald-Pelcowa | author3 = Barbara Otwinowska | publisher = Wydawnictwo Lubelskie | title = Jan Kochanowski 1584-1984: epoka, twórczość, recepcja | year = 1989 | pages=425–438|language=pl}}</ref><ref name="Jakubowski">{{Cite journal | publisher = [[Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe]] | location = Warsaw | editor = Jan Zygmunt Jakubowski |journal=Przegląd humanistyczny | volume = 3 | year = 1959 | page = 200 |language=pl}}</ref>

In 2004 [[English Heritage]] appointed [[Nigel Roder]] ("Kester the Jester") as the State Jester for England, the first since Muckle John 355 years previously.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/3545218.stm | work=BBC News | title=Jesters joust for historic role | date=2004-08-08 | access-date=2010-05-06}}</ref> However, following an objection by the National Guild of Jesters, English Heritage accepted they were not authorised to grant such a title.<ref>{{cite news|last=Griffiths |first=Emma |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4120607.stm |title=Jesters get serious in name row |work=BBC News |date=2004-12-23 |access-date=2012-07-11}}</ref> Roder was succeeded as "Heritage Jester" by Pete Cooper ("Peterkin the Fool").<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4775661.stm |title=Jester completes 100-mile tribute |work=BBC News |date=2006-08-09 |access-date=2012-07-11}}</ref>

In [[Germany]], [[Till Eulenspiegel]] is a folkloric hero dating back to medieval times and ruling each year over [[Fasching]] or [[Carnival]] time, mocking politicians and public figures of power and authority with [[political satire]] like a modern-day court jester. He holds a mirror to make us aware of our times ([[Zeitgeist]]), and his [[sceptre]], his "bauble", or [[marotte]], is the symbol of his power.

In 17th century [[Spain]], [[Dwarfism|dwarves]], often with deformities, were employed as buffoons to entertain the king and his family, especially the children. In [[Diego Velázquez|Velázquez]]'s painting [[Las Meninas]] two dwarfs are included: [[Maria Bárbola]], a female dwarf from [[Germany]] with [[hydrocephalus]], and [[:es:Nicolasito Pertusato|Nicolasito Portusato]] from [[Italy]]. Mari Bárbola can also be seen in a later portrait of [[Margarita Teresa of Spain|princess Margarita Teresa]] in mourning by [[Juan Bautista Martinez del Mazo]]. There are other paintings by Velázquez that include court dwarves such as [[Prince Balthasar Charles With a Dwarf]].

During the [[Renaissance Papacy]], the Papal court in Rome had a court jester, similar to the secular courts of the time. [[Pope Pius V]] dismissed the court Jester, and no later Pope employed one.

In [[Japan]] from the 13th to 18th centuries, the ''[[taikomochi]]'', a kind of male [[geisha]], attended the feudal lords (''[[daimyō]]s''). They entertained mostly through dancing and storytelling, and were at times counted on for strategic advice. By the 16th century they fought alongside their lord in battle in addition to their other duties.

[[Tonga]] was the first royal court to appoint a court jester in the 20th century; [[Taufa'ahau Tupou IV]], the King of Tonga, appointed [[Jesse Bogdonoff|JD Bogdanoff]] to that role in 1999.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thenoodlebowl.com/jesters/images/reality/jddecree.jpg |format=JPEG |title=Tonga royal decree appointing JD Bogdanoff as court jester |access-date=2009-10-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106004548/http://www.thenoodlebowl.com/jesters/images/reality/jddecree.jpg |archive-date=2012-11-06 }}</ref> Bogdanoff was later embroiled in a financial scandal.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3141297.stm |title=Tongan court jester faces trial |date=11 August 2003 |access-date=2009-10-29 |work=BBC News}}</ref>