History’s Finest Court Jester Was Sentenced to Death

This is how Triboulet got out of it using humor.

The look of the jester in the painting above is thought to have been inspired by Triboulet. By William Merritt Chase — The Athenaeum, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons.

Historically, jesters played a much more important part in kings’ courts than was previously thought. These fools were mostly men and were chosen for the position for several reasons.

1. Disability