Claus Narr, Germany’s Most Famous Jester
history_docu_photo/Alamy Stock PhotoClaus Narr, or Claus Narren von Ranstedt, was a German court jester in Saxony.
Like many other jesters, most of Claus Narr’s life is left out of the history books, but what record there is of the man certainly illustrates why he was so popular at court.
According to Ancient Origins, a German noble first discovered Narr when he was about nine years old. Narr was a goose tender, and the noble was amused as he watched the boy try to pick up all of his birds at once. Narr reportedly attempted to carry his goslings by looping their necks through his belt. The reason? He feared they would be stolen if he couldn’t keep an eye on them at all times.
In fact, the noble, Elector Ernst, was so amused that he asked Narr’s father if he could bring him to court. Narr’s father evidently didn’t think highly of his son’s goose-tending ability because he responded, “That would be great, Sir! I’d be relieved of a great encumbrance thereby; the youth is no good to me — he makes nothing but trouble in my house and stirs up the whole village with his pranks.”
Narr’s pranks may not have sat well with the villagers, but they certainly made him popular among the courtiers.
Will Sommers And Jane The Foole, Court Jesters Of The Tudors
incamerastock/Alamy Stock PhotoKing Henry VIII with his children. Royal fool Will Sommers stands behind them.
Both Will Sommers and Jane the Foole were considered “natural fools” in their time. In today’s terms, we would say the two suffered from learning disabilities, but in their day, they each found favor in the Tudor court.
Will Sommers enjoyed a humorous rapport with Henry VIII, and this earned him the king’s affection. That fondness also allowed Sommers to say what no one else could to the king.
According to Historic England, Sommers once told the king, “As please your Grace, you have so many frauditers, so many conveyers and so many deceivers to get up your money, that they get all to themselves.”
Sommers said this as a joke, but he was actually warning the king that he was being exploited by those closest to him — something most members of the Tudor court wouldn’t dare say.
Sommers was paid well and given fine meals and clothes for his service, and he was additionally assigned a “keeper” to look after him, as it was known in court that he didn’t have the capacity to care for himself.
Jane the Foole had a similar situation. She was employed as the “woman fool” by Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn, and like Sommers, Jane was well-paid and well-clothed. In fact, records from the time show eight separate payments of four pence for “shaving of Jane [the] fool’s head.”
One thing that is clear, both from historical accounts and contemporary paintings, is that the Tudor fools held prominent positions in the court, as they were favored for their humor and directness.
