Chicot (c. 1540–1591), real name Jean-Antoine d'Anglerais, was the
jester
A jester, court jester, fool or joker was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch employed to entertain guests during the medieval and Renaissance eras. Jesters were also itinerant performers who entertained common folk at fairs and ...
of King
Henry III of France
Henry III (french: Henri III, né Alexandre Édouard; pl, Henryk Walezy; lt, Henrikas Valua; 19 September 1551 – 2 August 1589) was King of France from 1574 until his assassination in 1589, as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of ...
and later
Henry IV. He was sharp-tongued and very cunning, and spoke with the king without formalities.
Biography
Chicot was born in
Gascony
Gascony (; french: Gascogne ; oc, Gasconha ; eu, Gaskoinia) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part o ...
in 1540. He had a strong military background, he served as a soldier under
Honorat II of Savoy
Honorat de Savoie, marquis of Villars (c. 1511Comte Henri de Panisse-Passis, Les comtes de Tende de la maison de Savoie', Firmin-Didot (Paris), 1889, p.137. - 20 September 1580, Le Grand-Pressigny) was a marshal of France and admiral of France. Bo ...
. He then served as a jester under King
Henry III of France
Henry III (french: Henri III, né Alexandre Édouard; pl, Henryk Walezy; lt, Henrikas Valua; 19 September 1551 – 2 August 1589) was King of France from 1574 until his assassination in 1589, as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of ...
and then later
Henry IV of France
Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarc ...
. He was the only known jester who led an active political and military life; he was allowed to carry a rapier, and he was also known for his skill with the blade.
This is how John L. Motley in his work ''History of the United Netherlands From the Death of William the Silent to the Twelve Years' Truce, 1609'' describes his death during the campaign of 1591 of Henry IV against the army of Catholic League, 'They
.e. Leaguerswere closely followed by Henry at the head of his cavalry, and lively skirmishes were of frequent occurrence. In a military point of view none of these affairs were of consequence, but there was one which partook at once of the comic and the pathetic. For it chanced that in a cavalry action of more than common vivacity the Count Chaligny found himself engaged in a hand-to-hand conflict with a very dashing swordsman, who, after dealing and receiving many severe blows, at last succeeded in disarming the count and taking him prisoner. It was the fortune of war, and, but a few days before, might have been the fate of the great Henry himself. But Chaligny's mortification at his captivity became intense when he discovered that the knight to whom he had surrendered was no other than the king's jester! That he, a chieftain of the Holy League, the long-descended scion of the illustrious house of Lorraine, brother of the great Duke of Mercœur,
Philippe Emmanuel, Duke of Mercœur Philippe is a masculine sometimes feminin given name, cognate to Philip. It may refer to:
* Philippe of Belgium (born 1960), King of the Belgians (2013–present)
* Philippe (footballer) (born 2000), Brazilian footballer
* Prince Philippe, Count ...
(1558–1602), as well son of Nicolas, Duke of Mercœur. should become the captive of a Huguenot buffoon, seemed the most stinging jest yet perpetrated since fools had come in fashion. The famous Chicot, who was as fond of a battle as of a gibe, and who was almost as reckless a rider as his master, proved on this occasion that the cap and bells could cover as much magnanimity as did the most chivalrous crest. Although desperately wounded in the struggle which had resulted in his triumph, he generously granted to the count his freedom without ransom. The proud Lorrainer returned to his Leaguers, and the poor fool died afterward of his wounds.'
In fiction
*
Alexandre Dumas, père
Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where ''Suffix (name)#Generational titles, '' is French language, French for 'father', to distinguish him from ...
:
** ''
La Dame de Monsoreau
''La Dame de Monsoreau'' is a historical novel by Alexandre Dumas, père published in 1846. It owes its name to the counts who owned the famous château de Montsoreau. The novel is concerned with fraternal royal strife at the court of Henri III
...
'' (1846) (a.k.a. ''Chicot the Jester'')
** ''
The Forty-Five Guardsmen'' (1847)
Chicot appears also in the novel by Heinrich Mann: Die Vollendung des Königs Henri Quatre (Fulfillment of the King Henry IV)
See also
*
List of jesters
References
{{reflist
Sources
*
Louis Maïeul Chaudon,
Antoine-François Delandine
Antoine-François Delandine (5 March 1756 – 5 May 1820), was a French writer.
Delandine was born in Lyon. A lawyer at the Parliament of Dijon and the Parliament of Paris, he had a brief political career during the French Revolution when he was ...
Nouveau dictionnaire historique, ou, Histoire abrégée de tous les hommes qui se sont fait un nom par une société de gens-de-lettres.Société des gens de lettres de France, G. Le Roy, 1786.
*Beatrice K. Otto
Fools are Everywhere: The Court Jester Around the World University of Chicago Press, 2001.
*Doran, John
The History of Court Fools.R. Bentley, 1858.
Jesters
Year of birth uncertain
1540s births
1591 deaths