Category: Court fool
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A court fool is rather foolish and Mary I gets married

| July 25, 2020

A court fool is rather foolish and Mary I gets married

On this day in Tudor history, 25th July 1535, the Feast of St James, the imperial ambassador wrote about a furious King Henry VIII who’d apparently been nearly driven to commit murder! What had angered the king? Well, it involved Henry VIII’s fool and some foolish name-calling. Find out more in my latest “on this […]

25 July 1535 – Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth are called names

| July 25, 2017

25 July 1535 – Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth are called names

With his letter written on the Feast of St James (25th July) 1535, to Nicolas Perrenot de Granvelle, who was Charles V’s advisor, Eustace Chapuys included an interesting post script. It was written in cipher, but said: “P.S.—He the other day nearly murdered his own fool, a simple and innocent man, because he happened to […]

Jane the Fool

| April 1, 2014

Jane the Fool

As it’s April Fools’ Day today, I thought I’d take a look at Jane the Fool, the woman who was court fool to Queen Anne Boleyn, Queen Mary I (when she was princess and queen) and Queen Catherine Parr. Jane was what John Southworth, in his book “Fools and Jesters at the English Court”, refers […]

15 June 1560 – Death of William Somer (Sommers), Court Fool to Henry VIII

| June 15, 2013

15 June 1560 – Death of William Somer (Sommers), Court Fool to Henry VIII

On 15th June 1560, William Somer (Sommers), former court fool to Henry VIII, Edward VI and Mary I died in Shoreditch, London. He was buried at St Leonard’s Church, Shoreditch. Somer served as Henry VIII’s fool from June 1535 and just a month later got into trouble with the King. In July 1535, Eustace Chapuys, […]

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