Royal Order of Jesters: Jesters Throughout History

Before the establishment of the Royal Order of Jesters, jesters appeared in the courts of wealthy nobles during medieval times and remained fixtures of nobles courts until the 17th century. Both licensed and educated, a jesters role was to entertain, share literature, and educate. In the English courts, the most famous jesters include Archie Armstrong from the court of James I; Patch, the jester of Henry VIIs wife Elizabeth; and Henry VIIIs court jester, Will Sommers. In the French courts, Triboulet remains the most well-known French court jester, serving under the royal administrations of both Louis XII and Francis I. Among monks in France, there existed a Jester order, out of which came a valuable and ancient jeweled dagger given to Jester George F. Foye in the Far East. This dagger was later presented to Royal Director Brown of the Royal Order of Jesters. After the Royal Order of Jesters gained possession of a photo dating back to 1870, in which a King of Jesters makes a compelling proclamation about the application of good humor as a balsam for all manner of maladies, the order agreed that the present organization should follow the spirit of jester behavior dating back centuries.